June 3rd, 2016 at 5:07 pm 
by Ron Cervenka Any time you hear that a former Tommy John recipient has landed on the disabled list you immediately fear the worst. Such was the case last Sunday (May 29) when Dodgers right-hander Ross Stripling was placed on the seven-day DL by the Oklahoma City Dodgers.
Stripling, as you recall, made the Dodgers Opening Day roster as the team’s fifth starter and was pulled from his major league debut on April 8 by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with a no-hitter intact through 7.1 innings – a decision that was harshly criticized by some and applauded by others, including Stripling’s own father.
Roberts’ controversial decision to pull Stripling was based on one thing and one thing only – an innings limit on the 26-year-old Bluebell, Pennsylvania native, who underwent Tommy John surgery on March 5, 2014. It is also the reason why Stripling was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City on May 23 after making only eight starts in which he posted a 2-3 record and 4.53 ERA. During his eight starts, Stripling struck out 34 while walking 18 in his 45.2 innings pitched.
As it turns out and much to the relief of Dodger fans everywhere, Stripling’s DL stint is also innings-limit related and the extremely likable right-hander insists that he is still 100 percent healthy.
“It’s an inning limit. The DL is just for the paper trail I guess,” Stripling said on Friday afternoon. “I’ll be making one to three-inning starts here [at extended spring training in Arizona] for a few weeks to conserve innings for later in the year.”
Stripling’s DL stint is innings-limit related, not injury related.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)
Although Stripling obviously wishes that he was still in the Dodgers starting rotation, he understands the move.
“It’s probably the best long-term play but it stinks right now,” Stripling kidded.
But Ross Stripling isn’t the only big name currently at extended spring training in Arizona right now. Dodgers number one ranked right-handed pitching prospect Jose De Leon in also enjoying the fun in the sun at the Dodgers Camelback Ranch facility in Glendale, Arizona … sort of.
Ross Stripling and Jose De Leon
(Image courtesy of @JDL_87)
De Leon is nursing a minor arm injury back to health but indicates that he’ll be back in action soon, most likely with the OKC Dodgers.
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Seems like an abuse of minor league DL for Stripling as he is not injured. Why not assign him to extended ST and pay him his AAA salary?
Good article Ron!
I don’t think it’s “an abuse of minor league DL” for Stripling. I was just thinking it was a smart way to make sure their investment in Stripling pays off over the long-term. If limiting Stripling’s innings by utilizing “one to three-inning starts at extended spring training in Arizona” helps to insure his long-term health and makes him “available later in the year” that’s smart. I don’t think it’s an abuse of DL to utilize it to rest an arm when they feel its time.
I also like how they are handling De Leon. Could it be that De Leon becomes available, to the ML Dodgers, about the time Urias needs to slow the innings down? I wouldn’t be surprised.
FAZ is handling these young stud pitchers with care. The arm-chair GM’s that say FAZ is irresponsible by bringing Urias up, don’t know what they are talking about. He had nothing more to prove in AAA after 20+ consecutive scoreless innings. Wood goes down, Urias comes up, he earned it by pounding on the door and breaking it down. Now he will get the continuing experience and arm strength building at the major league level. What FAZ won’t do is jeopardize his future by overworking him this year. Wouldn’t surprise me to see Urias go to “extended spring training” sometime this year, but, only after some more ML starts.
I think Dodgers are doing a great job of developing and protecting these young arms, but why not simply assign Stripling (not injured as opposed to De Leon who was) to extended ST in AZ rather than the public ruse of 7 day DL?
Not sure, but, it must have been some advantage to do so. Do you think it’s a ruse to go to DL for a “tired” arm or some such thing, if you know you don’t want him pitching in a minor’s game for at least seven games? I don’t know if I agree. I wonder if there are rules/conditions that must be met to put a player on DL. Probably.
We are all arm chair GM’s.
And it’s not about proving anything at AAA. It’s about what is best for each individual prospect. I know you have different ideas about what we have called “the plan”, but I think most would agree the prospect everyone thought would be first up was Jose De Leon. If asked in Spring Trajning if they thought Urias would be in the rotation in early June I’m fairly certain the answer from brass would have been a resounding “of course not!”