Dodgers place former All-Star pitcher on 15-day IL
A day after his latest disastrous start , Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Noah Syndergaard was placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his right index finger.
The Dodgers, who made the announcement Thursday morning, signed "Thor" to a one-year, $13M contract in the offseason, but have yet to see positive returns on that investment. So far in 2023, he is 1-4 in 12 starts with a bloated 7.61 ERA after allowing six runs on seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday.
"He's been going through it. He's been going through it all year," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told SportsNet LA after the game. "I know there's things with that blister he's been dealing with that he doesn't want to make excuses for. It might be an opportunity for a reset."
Like his former New York Met compatriot Jacob deGrom of the Rangers, Syndergaard also has lengthy injury history, including a Tommy John procedure that cost the former All-Star most of 2020 and 2021. (On Tuesday, deGrom announced his season was over ahead of Tommy John surgery next week.)
Syndergaard likely faces an uphill battle to work his way back into a starting rotation that expects to get Julio Urias back next week, per MLB.com to supplement Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin.
With rookie Bobby Miller dealing to start his career and looking more like a fixture in the starting five, Syndergaard will likely be battling Michael Grove for the final spot in the rotation. Grove has had his own struggles this season with an 8.14 ERA in five starts but is coming off a seven-strikeout performance in a loss to the New York Yankees last weekend.
The Dodgers are 36-27 and 1.5 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West.
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