Rubby De La Rosa Likely Out for Season
By Editorial Staff
After he was placed on the disabled list Monday with what was called elbow inflammation, it appears Dodgers starter Rubby De La Rosa will require season ending surgery.
LA made the announcement last night after its loss to the Padres that the 22 year old has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right throwing elbow, an injury that usually leads to Tommy John surgery.
It’s yet to be determined how long De La Rosa will be out, as the extent of the tear isn’t yet known and the surgery hasn’t been officially elected. But at this point it seems almost certain that De La Rosa is done for the year.
The injury occurred during his start Sunday against the Diamondbacks. De La Rosa gave up 3 earned runs in 4 innings while offering 4 free passes. The right hander threw 103 pitches in the process and though he told reporters he felt fine after the game, he admitted to the Dodgers’ training staff that he experienced discomfort in his elbow during the third inning.
De La Rosa entered 2011 as one of the Dodgers top prospects and after 8 successful Triple-A starts he got the call to replace injured pitcher Jon Garland.
After working out of LA’s pen for 3 games, De La Rosa became a starter for the Dodgers. He struggled a bit over his first 5 starts, allowing 14 runs in only 20.2 innings. But De La Rosa rebounded, holding a 2.03 ERA over his 6 starts prior to Sunday’s game. On the year De La Rosa had a record of 4-5 with a 3.71 earned run average and 1.40 WHIP.
LA may consider skipping De La Rosa’s spot in the rotation one time before adding a 5th starter. In the meantime the Dodgers have recalled John Ely who will report to the bullpen.
For more on the Dodgers, be sure to check out Lasorda’s Lair.