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Dodgers plan to promote Gavin Stone for start on Wednesday

April 30, 2023

LOS ANGELES — President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman has said the Dodgers went into this season having made the decision to “carve out” opportunities at the big-league level for some of their top prospects.

Another carve-out is coming. Top pitching prospect Gavin Stone will be promoted from Triple-A this week to make his major-league debut in a start against the Philadelphia Phillies Wednesday afternoon.

The Dodgers gave Stone the news on Saturday. But Dave Roberts would not confirm the upcoming move, saying only that the Dodgers were “possibly” considering an adjustment to the starting rotation this week.

“I can’t speak to it, but possibly. Possibly,” he said.

“It would just be more of — we do decide to do anything — to give guys a blow. But right now, we’re going to stay the course. … As of now.”

Starting Stone on Wednesday would push Dustin May back to Friday’s series opener in San Diego. May is 1-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 10 career appearances against the Padres, holding them to a .208 batting average.

Perhaps more important, moving May back would give him six days’ rest following his start against the Cardinals in which he threw a career-high 104 pitches. Clayton Kershaw lines up to pitch Saturday in San Diego and Noah Syndergaard on Sunday, both on six days’ rest as well.

The Dodgers play the Padres again the following weekend (May 12-14) with an off day before the series starts. If Stone sticks around for a second start, the Dodgers could potentially start May, Kershaw and Syndergaard against the Padres on six days’ rest again.

The 24-year-old Stone has begun the season 2-2 with a 4.74 ERA in six starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City. But that includes a rough start in the season opener (six runs in 2⅔ innings) and 10 runs allowed in his first 11⅔ innings of the season. Over his past three starts, Stone has allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out 17 in 13 innings.

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Will Smith made his first start at catcher since returning from a concussion that sidelined him for two weeks. Smith’s first two starts were at DH.

Roberts said Smith has passed all the possible tests to make sure he has recovered — except one.

“Not that I want it — but I think that first one to the face mask,” Roberts said. “You can pass all the tests, which he’s done, feel good, all that stuff, have clarity — and you can’t kind of prepare to get him to come back by hitting him on the mask with a baseball bat, right? So I think that once he gets that first one, then I think everyone will exhale.”related_articles location=”left” show_article_date=”false” article_type=”automatic-primary-section”]

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During Saturday’s game against the Cardinals, Roberts pulled rookie infielder Michael Busch alongside him on the top step of the dugout to watch 10-time Gold Glove third baseman Nolan Arenado.

“At that moment I wanted him to appreciate Nolan Arenado and how he’s into every pitch, pre-pitch, the glove position,” Roberts said. “He’s not fleet of foot but he’s one of the best defenders — not only third basemen — in all of baseball. So he (Busch) has a front-row seat to watch one of the best of all time, in my opinion, defensively.

“I think that as a young player, as a veteran player, you’re always kind of caught watching your own teammates. But I think that to be able to widen your scope a little bit to watch other superstar players, it might land better. … It’s an opportunity to learn and get a PhD in how to defend, how to prepare.”

Busch was primarily a first baseman in college. The Dodgers moved him to second base in the minor leagues but also had him start playing third base this season.

UP NEXT

Phillies (RHP Taijuan Walker, 2-1, 4.97 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Tony Gonsolin, 0-0, 0.00 ERA), Monday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Orange County Register

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Dodgers plan to promote Gavin Stone for start on Wednesday

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