GLENDALE, Ariz. – The Los Angeles Dodgers reported improvement on Mike Bolsinger's side injury, but the situation is still too new for the club to have any idea what will happen with the fifth spot of the rotation, just two weeks before Opening Day.
In a wild turn of events Sunday, fifth-starter candidate Zach Lee was optioned back to minor league camp in a move that seemed to signal that Bolsinger would be the Dodgers No. 5 starter. But a half hour later, Bolsinger was a scratch from his Sunday start, putting everything back into question.
Lee was not back from the minor league side Monday morning, as the Dodgers attempt to weigh their options.
At this point, though, the team’s choices for the fifth game of the season, April 8 at San Francisco, seem to be Lee or Bolsinger as the starter. The spot figures to be Bolsinger’s if he is healthy.
“I felt like I had something good going,” Bolsinger said Monday morning. “My arm was feeling great. I felt like I was making an impact and earning that spot and then something like this happens. I’m just going to have to come in every day, work on it aggressively and try to get this thing better as fast as possible.”
Bolsinger started 21 games for the Dodgers last season and pitched well before fading down the stretch. He was at the Dodgers’ facility well before 7 a.m. Monday to begin his treatment program and said he might go through an acupuncture session later in the afternoon.
He believes he can get back on track if he can get in one more start before exhibition games end April 2. The Dodgers leave Arizona on March 30 but play three games against the Los Angeles Angels in Southern California in advance of the April 4 season opener at San Diego.
“[Bolsinger] said there was significant improvement, but I think with the oblique we want to be cautious,” manager Dave Roberts said. “And I have used that word cautious numerous times this spring. But we do. It’s going to be asymptomatic in when he picks up a baseball again, so it could be a day, it could be two days. We’ll continue to be hopeful.”