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Kyle Hurt

Dodgers’ Kyle Hurt To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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The Dodgers’ litany of pitching injuries continues to mount. Right-hander Kyle Hurt is slated to undergo Tommy John surgery, reports Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation. Tommy John surgery typically comes with a recovery timeline of 12 to 16 months, so Hurt will be sidelined until late in the 2025 season at least — and possibly into the 2026 campaign.

Hurt, 26, came to the Dodgers from the Marlins alongside lefty Alex Vesia in a trade sending righty Dylan Floro to Miami. The 2020 fifth-rounder quickly climbed the organization’s prospect rankings, entering the ’24 campaign as L.A.’s No. 11 prospect at Baseball America and No. 7 over at FanGraphs.

Though he pitched in the majors last season and briefly earlier in 2024, Hurt has totaled only 8 2/3 innings at the MLB level. He’s yielded only one run with a 6-to-1 K/BB ratio in that time. Hurt has spent the rest of the 2024 season in Triple-A Oklahoma City — mostly on the minor league injured list. He missed two months early this season due to inflammation in his shoulder, came back as a reliever in early June, and was placed back on the injured list a month later. This latest trip to the IL, it seems, will last quite a bit longer.

Hurt has spent time on the injured list both in 2022 and now in 2024. He’s a clearly talented arm but has also yet to reach 100 innings in a professional season. The right-hander tossed 92 frames of 3.91 ERA ball between Double-A and Triple-A last season (plus two shutout MLB innings), and as Baseball America points out, he led all minor leaguers (min. 90 innings) with a colossal 39.2% strikeout rate. Hurt’s heater sits mid-90s and touches the upper 90s, and his changeup draws plus grades on the 20-80 scale — with FanGr.aphs going so far as to grade it as a true 80 offering.

BA’s scouting report on Hurt cited durability as a concern even before the current season. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen w0rote in March that Hurt comes with “a lot of relief risk” but had a chance to work as a five-inning starter. Even if that’s not the case, Hurt profiles as a potential high-end reliever given his velocity — which would presumably tick up in one-inning stints — the quality of his changeup and the ease with which he misses bats.

All of that will be put on hold for the time being, but Hurt will have multiple option years remaining beyond the current season. He’ll turn 27 next May, so he’ll be on the older side for a “prospect” by the time he returns in late 2025 or early 2026, but the quality of his arsenal is tantalizing enough that the Dodgers (or perhaps another club) will keep carrying him on the 40-man roster with an eye toward the benefit that can be reaped in the future.

Dodgers Option Bobby Miller

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The Dodgers optioned Bobby Miller to Triple-A Oklahoma City this afternoon. Los Angeles recalled reliever Ricky Vanasco to step into the bullpen for the time being.

Miller was the Dodgers’ most reliable starting pitcher by the end of his rookie season. The former first-round pick and top prospect turned in a 3.76 ERA over 23 starts in his debut campaign. He entered this year as the arguable #3 arm behind offseason pickups Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Miller’s year could hardly have started any better, as he tossed six scoreless innings with a career-high 11 strikeouts against the Cardinals in his debut.

Things fell off after that. The Cubs tagged Miller for five runs without allowing him to escape the second inning during his next start. Miller came out of his third appearance with shoulder inflammation. He spent the next two months on the injured list.

The Dodgers activated Miller from the IL on June 19. He has taken the ball four times since that point with dismal results. Miller allowed five runs over 6 1/3 frames at Coors Field. He surrendered three runs over two innings to the White Sox before tossing five frames of two-run ball against the Diamondbacks. Working on a full week of rest, he hit a low point in last night’s start against the Phillies.

Philadelphia tagged Miller for nine runs on 10 hits through four innings. He gave up two home runs and has surrendered at least one longball in each of his last four outings. Miller has issued three walks in every appearance since returning and hasn’t recorded more than four strikeouts in a start. Since his reinstatement, he has allowed 19 runs across 17 1/3 innings. Miller has walked 12 while striking out nine. Opponents are hitting .338/.434/.620 with five homers in 83 plate appearances.

That’s obviously nowhere near the level the Dodgers were expecting. Miller and skipper Dave Roberts each told reporters that the pitcher is not working through any shoulder discomfort (link via Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic). Miller has lost a bit of velocity, though, sitting in the 96-97 MPH range with his fastball after averaging around 99 MPH during his season debut. It’s possible there’s something amiss mechanically, although a 96-97 MPH heater should still have plenty of life.

Pitchers must spend at least 15 days in the minors after being optioned unless they’re recalled to replace an injured player. The Dodgers can bring Miller back up on July 25. That could amount to skipping just one turn through the rotation because of next week’s All-Star festivities, but Roberts said the team doesn’t have a specific target for Miller’s return. It’s not out of the question he remains in Triple-A past the July 30 trade deadline.

Miller’s demotion is another hit to what has become a rotation in flux. The Dodgers have placed Yamamoto, Glasnow and Walker Buehler on the injured list over the past few weeks. Glasnow is dealing with what seems to be minor back tightness and should be back in short order. The timeline on Buehler (hip inflammation) and Yamamoto (rotator cuff strain) is less clear. Los Angeles could welcome Clayton Kershaw around the end of this month, but he’s coming back from offseason shoulder surgery.

Gavin Stone, James Paxton and Landon Knack now stand as the top three arms in the L.A. rotation. Lefty Justin Wrobleski made his big league debut over the weekend and will probably get another start. They’re essentially out of other healthy starters. Ardaya reported last night that righty Kyle Hurt, who might’ve been a depth option, is being shut down after experiencing elbow soreness in Triple-A. The Dodgers will probably need to deploy a bullpen game at some point this week to get to the All-Star Break.

With a 7.5 game cushion in the NL West, the Dodgers have some leeway to weather a tough few weeks on the rotation front. They still have plenty of upside for a playoff rotation that could include Glasnow, Yamamoto, Kershaw, Stone, and potentially a resurgent Buehler or Miller. There’s growing uncertainty with the group, though, which raises questions for the front office before the deadline.

The Dodgers have already reportedly made an offer for White Sox breakout lefty Garrett Crochet. Chicago turned it down, but L.A. will surely remain one of a number of teams in that mix. Crochet’s teammate Erick Fedde is also likely to be traded, as are rentals Jack Flaherty and Yusei Kikuchi.

Dodgers Transfer Max Muncy To 60-Day Injured List

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The Dodgers transferred third baseman Max Muncy to the 60-day injured list this evening. The move opened a spot on the 40-man roster for righty Kyle Hurt, who was reinstated from his own stint on the 60-day IL and optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Muncy has been out since May 17 with an oblique strain. While the team initially expressed hope that he’d back in relatively short order, that’s not how things played out. Muncy is now officially out of action through the All-Star Break. He’ll be eligible for reinstatement when the season’s second half gets underway. Muncy has been taking ground-balls but has yet to resume swinging a bat.

Enrique Hernández has gotten the majority of the third base work in Muncy’s absence. He’s hitting .191/.276/.324 in 76 plate appearances over that stretch. The Dodgers have given a few third base reps to Cavan Biggio, Miguel Rojas and Chris Taylor as well. Neither Biggio nor Taylor has hit well this season. Rojas is having a nice year but had to move to shortstop after the Mookie Betts injury.

Muncy was out to his typically solid start before the injury. He’d driven nine home runs with a .223/.323/.475 slash in 167 trips to the plate. The Dodgers’ fill-in options at third base are a clear downgrade, though there’s no indication they’re especially alarmed. L.A. has built a wide enough lead in the NL West to withstand injuries to Betts, Muncy and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others. GM Brandon Gomes said earlier in the week that the team wasn’t changing its deadline approach to compensate for losing Yamamoto and Betts. The same is presumably true of Muncy, assuming the Dodgers expect him back sometime in July.

Dodgers Select Nabil Crismatt’s Contract

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The Dodgers have selected the contract of right-hander Nabil Crismatt from Triple-A.  Right-hander Nick Ramirez was sent to Triple-A to make room on the active roster, and righty Kyle Hurt was moved from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot.

After signing a minors deal with Los Angeles during the offseason, this is already Crismatt’s second time on the 26-man.  His contract was initially selected at the end of March, and he threw two scoreless relief innings (and earned the win) in the Dodgers’ 5-4 victory over the Cardinals on March 31.  L.A. then designated Crismatt for assignment the next day, and he chose to remain in the Dodgers organization even though he had the right to reject an assignment off the 40-man.

Since Ramirez threw two innings in yesterday’s 12-2 win over the Blue Jays, Crismatt will get another look as a fresh arm in the reliever corps over the weekend.  Ryan Yarbrough is slated to start Sunday’s game, though that could be more of a bullpen game that requires several pitchers available.  It wouldn’t be surprising if Crismatt is DFA’ed again in a few days’ time, though the righty is obviously hoping to bolster his case for an extended stay by throwing more successful innings.

The 29-year-old Crismatt had a 3.39 ERA over 148 2/3 innings with San Diego in 2021-22 before his performance dropped off sharply last season, in the form of an 8.31 ERA in 13 innings with the Padres and Diamondbacks.  A hip strain added to Crismatt’s woes, but the bigger issue was that the grounder specialist ran out of batted-ball luck.  Crismatt’s ungainly .381 BABIP wreaked havoc on a pitcher who has 50.5% career groundball rate, and between his injuries and his lack of time in the majors, it all added up to a rough season.

Hurt was placed on the 15-day IL a week ago, with a backdated placement of April 17.  The move to the 60-man retains that original date, yet the righty’s bout of shoulder inflammation will now keep him out of action until at least mid-June.  Hurt has a 1.35 ERA over 6 2/3 innings and three appearances for Los Angeles this season, after making his MLB debut with two innings of work in 2023.  Regarded as one of the more interesting pitching prospects in the Dodgers’ system, Hurt seems to have at least a future as reliever if he can’t stick as a starter, given his big 36.6% strikeout rate over 188 2/3 career minor league innings.

Dodgers Place Kyle Hurt On 15-Day Injured List

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Right-hander Kyle Hurt has been placed on the Dodgers’ 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya).  Hurt’s placement is retroactive to April 17.  Right-hander Nick Ramirez was called up from Triple-A to take the open spot on Los Angeles’ 26-man roster.

Hurt was only just recalled from Triple-A himself last Tuesday, and that same day pitched two scoreless innings in the Dodgers’ 6-2 victory over the Nationals.  With just one earned run allowed in 6 2/3 MLB innings this season, Hurt has a 1.04 ERA over his 8 2/3 total frames as a big leaguer, including his one-game cup of coffee of a debut last year.  While not the biggest of sample sizes, the fact that Hurt has only issued one walk against Major League batters is encouraging, as he has experienced some control problems in the minors.

The righty’s ungainly 14.03% walk rate over 188 2/3 minor league frames is offset, to some extent, by his equally outsized 36.6% strikeout rate.  The ingredients are clearly there for a potential future as a bullpen weapon, though Hurt has started 41 of his 65 career minor league games, so the Dodgers will likely want to more fully explore what they have in Hurt as a starter before considering a transition to relief work.

For now, however, Hurt will become the 10th different pitcher on the Los Angeles injured list, as the Dodgers continue to search for healthy arms to fill innings.  The pitching schedule is further complicated by the team’s desire to keep Yoshinobu Yamamoto on a once-per-week schedule (mirroring his usage in Japan) for the time being, rather than on a regular turn through the rotation.  Of everyone on the IL, Walker Buehler might be the closest to activation, though Buehler will be making at least one more minor league rehab start as he works his way back from Tommy John surgery.

Dodgers Notes: Lux, Hurt, Future Moves

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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts made waves earlier this month when he announced that superstar Mookie Betts would play shortstop this season. The former MVP and seven-time All-Star is entering his 11th big league campaign and has played only 31 games at shortstop throughout his professional career. It was surprising enough in December when Roberts revealed that Betts, a six-time Gold Glove winner in the outfield, would play second base in 2024.

However, while Betts dominated the headlines, this move arguably had more to do with his teammate, 26-year-old Gavin Lux. The Dodgers originally planned for Lux to be their starting shortstop, but he will now play second base instead. Although Lux was primarily a shortstop in the minor leagues, he has spent most of his major league career at second. He has handled the keystone well, earning 16 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and 8 Outs Above Average (OAA) in 1346 2/3 defensive innings.  As Lux prepares for a full-time role in 2024 (after missing the 2023 season with a torn ACL), the Dodgers decided it was in the young player’s best interests to keep him at second base for the time being.

When Roberts first spoke about the decision, he told reporters the new middle infield alignment was “permanent, for now” (per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). Those words are something of an oxymoron, so yesterday, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman offered a little more clarity on the situation. Speaking to Doug McKain of Dodgers Nation, Friedman said the team remains “confident” Lux can play shortstop in the future. They will re-evaluate his health and position as they “get into the offseason next year.” That certainly suggests Lux will play second base and Betts will handle shortstop for the full 2024 campaign, but nothing is set in stone for the following season and beyond. In 2025, Lux will be another year removed from major knee surgery, while Betts will be 32 years old, an age at which many players begin to move down the defensive spectrum.

More Dodgers news as the team prepares to open the 2024 season in South Korea…

  • According to Roberts, there is a “very good possibility” Kyle Hurt is in the Dodgers bullpen for the team’s opening series against the Padres at Gocheok Sky Dome (per Ardaya). Hurt, whom the team acquired from the Marlins in February 2021, has looked sharp so far this spring. The righty was selected to the 40-man roster last September and made one appearance for the big league squad, striking out three Padres batters in two scoreless innings of work. Nevertheless, he was optioned back to Triple-A the following day. As Ardaya notes, the Dodgers still see Hurt as a starting pitcher, but he has made appearances out of the bullpen in all three seasons of his professional career. He can offer the team a little extra bullpen depth early in the season before returning to the minor leagues to stretch back out as a starter. Hurt struck out five across 2 1/3 scoreless innings during an exhibition game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO on Saturday.
  • Speaking to McKain, Friedman would not say the Dodgers are done making moves. “We really feel good about this team,” the executive explained. “That being said, we’ll continue to explore avenues, and if there’s ways to get better, we won’t hesitate.” Perhaps this should be every team’s approach to roster building, but hearing this from the Dodgers president is still notable. L.A. has significantly outspent every other team this offseason, signing the most sought-after MLB free agent, Shohei Ohtani, and the most sought-after international free agent, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. They also made a deal for one of the most talented players on the trade market, Tyler Glasnow, and inked him to a nine-figure extension. The Dodgers have won at least 100 games for three consecutive seasons, yet they arguably improved their roster more than any other team this winter.

Dodgers Select Kyle Hurt

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5:48pm: Los Angeles has officially announced Hurt’s promotion. Victor Gonzalez was optioned in a corresponding move. To create space on the 40-man roster, L.A. transferred Varland to the 60-day injured list. His season is over because of a knee issue.

12:43pm: The Dodgers are planning to select the contract of right-hander Kyle Hurt, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan. He’s started 16 games in the minors this year (plus another nine relief outings) but will work primarily out of the bullpen in Los Angeles.

Hurt, 25, was a fifth-round pick by the Marlins in 2020 who went to Los Angeles alongside lefty Alex Vesia in a trade that sent Dylan Floro from L.A. to Miami. The 6’3″, 240-pound righty posted fairly nondescript numbers in his first two professional seasons but has put himself on the prospect map in 2023 with 88 1/3 innings of 3.87 ERA ball and, more interestingly, a ridiculous 39% strikeout rate between Double-A and Triple-A. As is often the case, that ability to miss bats at an elite level is accompanied by some shaky command (11% walk rate). Still, Hurt’s strikeout rate is the highest among the 613 minor league pitchers with at least 70 innings so far in 2023.

To his credit, Hurt has tamped down that walk rate a bit since moving up the minor league ladder. After walking 11.8% of his opponents in Double-A this year, he’s issued walks at a much tidier 8.6% clip in 23 1/3 Triple-A frames. He’s also seen his ground-ball rate jump from 44.2% in Double-A to 52.1% in Triple-A.

As a college arm (USC) who was drafted in 2020, Hurt was a lock to be added to the Dodgers’ 40-man roster this winter, as opting not to do so would’ve left him eligible for the Rule 5 Draft. The Dodgers were never going to leave an arm capable of missing bats at this level unprotected, so one way or another, his contract would’ve been selected sooner than later. They’ll opt to take a look at Hurt down the stretch and evaluate him for a possible role in the postseason bullpen. While Hurt wasn’t on the 40-man roster at the time the postseason eligibility deadline passed back on Sept. 1, he can be added to the roster as a replacement for any number of injured Dodgers, by virtue of the fact that he was at least in the organization prior to Sept. 1.

The Dodgers have a staggering ten relievers currently on the 15-day or 60-day injured list. Each of Yency Almonte, Tyler Cyr, J.P. Feyereisen, Daniel Hudson, Joe Kelly, Jimmy Nelson, Alex Reyes, Wander Suero, Blake Treinen and Gus Varland is currently shelved with an injury. They’ve patched things together with a characteristic hodgepodge of little-known names and veteran reclamation projects, getting key innings from waiver-wire closer Evan Phillips, minor league signee Ryan Brasier and resurgent veteran Shelby Miller — among others. Hurt will join that group and vie for a spot in the playoff bullpen with a big showing in the season’s final three weeks.

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