The Los Angeles Dodgers continue to be beset with injuries to their starting rotation, as Alex Wood will undergo elbow surgery and miss the next eight weeks.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been hit with the injury bug as of late. To make things worse, the team received news tonight that starting pitcher Alex Wood will miss the next eight weeks after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow. Wood last pitched on May 30th and was later put on the disabled list for an impingement in his left elbow. If all goes well, the team is hoping for a return in the middle of September.
This news comes one day after the team shutdown Clayton Kershaw after he was experiencing back discomfort in his back. Kershaw and Wood completed a simulated game Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Kershaw experienced more pain in his back the next morning. Wood felt more impingement in his elbow, and has now learned the injury will require surgery.
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Wood and Kershaw are not the only two members of the starting rotation that are hurt. Left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu was placed on the disabled list with elbow tendinitis. To add to that, Brett Anderson has yet to throw a pitch for the Dodgers this season as he recovers from back surgery he had in March.
Even with all of these injuries, the Dodgers are still 5th in the National League in starting rotation ERA. Currently on the season the Dodgers starting rotation ERA sits at 3.78. The starting rotation currently consists of Scott Kazmir, Bud Norris, Julio Urius, Brandon McCarthy and Kenta Maeda. While the rotation has done well so far, the Dodgers may still look to deal for a starting pitcher before the trade deadline.
The Dodgers are currently 53-43 and sitting in second place in the NL West, five games back of the San Fransisco Giants. With the injuries hitting them left and right, they need to consider making an impact deadline deal. The player that may be singled out to improve the roster is Yasiel Puig. The Dodgers spoke earlier this week about the trade deadline saying that they would deal Puig. If Puig were to be dealt, one would think it would be for some starting pitching. A trade for a top of the rotation pitcher could turn this team from a pretender to a contender.
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Wood, 25, is 1-4 with a 3.99 ERA this season in 10 starts. The left-hander has 62 strikeouts and 19 walks in 56.1 innings. In five starts in May, he had a 3.18 ERA with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate. As soon as Wood looked like he was putting things together, three months of his season were suddenly taken from him. Wood will look to come back strong from his injury and give the Dodgers the boost they will need in October.