Typically, sending one’s best starting pitcher to the minors would be quite the shocking move. For the Los Angeles Dodgers and Kenta Maeda, it is just a matter of exploiting a few rules.
Aside from all-world pitcher Clayton Kershaw, the Los Angeles Dodgers have struggled to find consistent starting pitching this season. Their rotation has consistently been below average, with only their Japanese rookie sensation, Kenta Maeda, even coming close to expectations. As such, it may seem shocking that, of all the pitchers the Dodgers could send to the Minors, Maeda was the one chosen to be shipped out as they bring in another arm.
Dodger roster manipulation: Kenta Maeda "optioned" to Minors, opening three-day roster spot for Brock Stewart; Maeda still starts Monday.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) August 27, 2016
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However, let us look closely. “Optioned,” as Ken Gurnick of MLB.com stated, is correct. By sending him down to Rookie Ball, whose season ends on Monday, they will be able to bring Maeda back in short order, allowing him to make his regularly scheduled start. Meanwhile, they get the extra arm they need in Brock Stewart, presumably to fill in as the starter on Sunday.
In fact, it’s highly unlikely that Maeda even reports to the Minors. Unlike Yasiel Puig‘s extended hiatus, the Dodgers will likely have Maeda just kick back and relax, hanging out instead of hopping on a plane to Arizona. After all, they do need his start on Monday, and he would not appear in a game while down there.
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What we have here with the Los Angeles Dodgers is some good ol’ roster manipulation at its finest. By skirting the rules, and exploiting the loophole that a player can return to the Majors when the minor league season is over, the Dodgers have kept their roster intact while getting that needed arm.