Prior to first pitch of the Dodgers Sunday Night Baseball game against the Cubs, the team announced that they had optioned left-handed reliever Justin Bruihl to the Oklahoma City Dodgers (Triple-A).
The decision to send Bruihl down brought the Dodgers roster back down to 26 players. LA was temporarily allowed to have 27 players on the roster due to the team playing a doubleheader on Saturday. Veteran lefty Robbie Erlin remains on the roster and made his first appearance of the year on Sunday. Erlin closed out the ninth inning as LA boasted a 7-1 lead over the Cubs.
This season, Bruihl has pitched in eight games (8.0 IP). He sports a 3.38 ERA and a 0.76 WHIP. The lefty made his big league debut last year. He made 21 appearances last year and posted a 2.89 ERA. Bruihl, along with fellow reliever Phil Bickford and Alex Vesia, were effective young arms for a Dodgers bullpen that finished second in team ERA (3.16) last year.
Considering that it's only May, and how the Dodgers handle their big league roster, Bruihl landing back on the major league roster isn't out of the question.
Especially since Bruihl has been adept at shutting down left-handed hitters. In his young big league career, Bruihl has limited lefty hitters to a .391 OPS and has yet to yield a long ball. The former Cal Poly Mustang hasn't faired as well against right-handed hitters. Opposing hitters have posted a .348 on-base percentage against Bruihl.
The Dodgers continue their road trip with a three-game set in Pittsburgh before heading home to face the Phillies.
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