It was one of those things where, when you went to bed one night he wasn’t there, but when you woke up the next morning, he was.

The ‘there’ might be in the Dodgers Opening Day 2023 starting rotation, and the ‘he’ would be 25-year-old Dodgers left-hander Justin Bruihl.

A bit presumptuous, you say?

Perhaps.

But at the rate that members of the 2022 Dodgers starting rotation are leaving (or at least currently available on 2023 free-agent market), it certainly stands to reason that Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman will be making some significant changes to the Dodgers 2023 starting rotation to the one that we saw at the conclusion of the 2022 season; up to and including 34-year-old now free-agent future Hall of Fame left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who has a player option for 2023 (or potential retirement).

The good news – great, in fact – is that Kershaw made it known this past week that he will indeed remain with and pitch for the Dodgers in 2023 in what will be his 16th and, in all probability, final MLB season.

“Ellen and I got home in the offseason and we talked for a few days but really just felt like we weren’t done,” Kershaw said recently. “I think that was the biggest thing. We just felt like our time wasn’t finished in L.A.

“I think I’ve always thought it was a cool thing (to play your entire career with one team),” Kershaw added, citing Hall of Famers Derek Jeter, Chipper Jones, and future Hall of Famer Todd Helton as examples. “I don’t take any of that for granted. And for me, it’s just going to be a product of circumstance. Right now I feel great being in L.A. I’m so excited to get back out there, I think that’s the biggest thing. I don’t want to just keep doing it to do it. I want to do it because I’m excited. I want to win. I want to be out there.”

Music to the ears of every Dodgers fan.

As for Bruihl, he was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City four times during the Dodgers 111-52 2022 regular season, during which he posted a 1-1 record and 3.80 ERA in his 24 appearances – all in relief. However, during the tail end of the 2021 season, the Petaluma, CA native, who signed with the Dodgers as an amateur free agent on July 15, 2017, appeared in 21 games, including two starts – as an “opener.” He finished the 2021 campaign with an 0-1 record, but had an excellent 2.89 ERA in his 18.2 innings pitched.

In his (thus far) combined 42.1 innings pitched as a Dodger, Bruihl has struck out 24 opposing batters while walking 13 (four intentionally). He has also given up four home runs and hit four batters during his brief time in The Bigs.

But Bruihl also has some rather interesting splits with the Dodgers. In his (thus far) two brief Major League stints, he has limited left-handers to an impressive .187/.238/.187 slash line without allowing an extra-base hit in their combined 82 plate appearances against him. As for right-handers, they are slashing .275/.397/.471 in 65 combined plate appearances against him, including those aforementioned four home runs.

In his (thus far) combined 53.0 innings pitched at Triple-A OKC, Bruihl went 6-1 with a 3.57 ERA, with 54 strike outs and 27 walks (four intentionally).

Will Justin Bruihl be on the Dodgers 2023 Opening Day roster, and might it even be as a member of their starting rotation?

Stay tuned…

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