The Los Angeles Dodgers starting rotation has been without Hyun-Jin Ryu for the entire month of April and they'll now be missing Brandon McCarthy for the remainder of the season. Will they look to fill these voids internally or outside the organization?
Right now they are going to try veteran Scott Baker in the rotation for another start, who was 1-1 with a 1.06 ERA and 0.647 WHIP in three starts at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He pitched against the San Diego Padres on Apr. 26, but was handed the loss after giving up three runs on four hits and two walks in seven innings of work.
However, the Dodgers still need a fifth starter even with Baker getting some time in the rotation because only Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke and Brett Anderson are available. Carlos Frias will get the start against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday night, according to Pedro Moura of the Orange County Register, but he has only made two starts in the MLB since debuting last season. He's 2-1 with a 5.71 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 17 games (two starts) over 34 2/3 innings.
Los Angeles also has Brandon Beachy, who is expected to return in June following his second Tommy John surgery, but they'll need to address their problems before that. If Frias doesn't work out the Dodgers have a number of other options, such as Joe Wieland, Mike Bolsinger, Zach Lee and others.
But what about star prospect Julio Urias?
The Mexican is only 18 years old, but he's already at Double-A Tulsa and is 1-1 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.774 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in four starts (20 2/3 innings). He also appeared in two games during spring training with the club and surrendered one run on three hits and three walks over two innings. Despite that, he impressed during offseason workouts and it's possible he makes his debut in 2015.
The Philadelphia Phillies were previously interested in Urias when the Dodgers were inquiring about a trade for Cole Hamels, but Friedman wasn't ready to bite the bait and get rid of some top prospects, even though he remains open to the idea.
"We don't have any hard and fast rules," president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. "I think it would be incredibly difficult for us to trade guys who could be potential foundation pieces for us for a long time."
Shaikin added: "Friedman did rule out calling up the 19-year-old Urias from double A any time soon."
Urias began his career in the Dodgers' farm system as a 16-year-old and finished 2-0 with a 2.48 ERA, 1.104 WHIP and 67 strikeouts in 18 starts (54 1/3 innings) at Class A Great Lakes back in 2013. The left-hander has had a tremendously successful career in the minors at such a young age, so it wouldn't be surprising if the Dodgers called on him if they exhausted the rest of their options.
