Dodgers’ May makes the rotation; Price to bullpen
David Price threw two simulated innings against his teammates at Dodger Stadium on Monday. His next appearance will come out of the Dodgers’ bullpen.
Right-hander Dustin May will be in the Dodgers’ starting rotation to begin the regular season, manager Dave Roberts announced. He’ll make his 2021 debut on Monday in Oakland against the A’s. That means the veteran left-hander Price, and righthanders Tony Gonsolin and Jimmy Nelson, will be relief pitchers when the Dodgers visit the Colorado Rockies for four games beginning Thursday.
May has a 2.63 earnedrun average in four spring training appearances. The 23-year-old went 3-1 with a 2.57 ERA in 12 games (10 starts) last season when he finished fifth in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Price, 35, opted out of last season entirely, and the Dodgers plan to monitor his 2021 workload carefully. He was limited to 6-2/3 innings in Cactus League play and allowed two runs. Price ranks ninth among active pitchers in career starts (311), but he won’t add to his total as the Dodgers begin their quest to repeat as World Series champions.
“First of all, we’re in a great spot. We have a lot of talented pitchers,” Roberts said. “There’s going to have to be a little bit of bullpen gymnastics, pitching gymnastics, this season. This is an unknown coming off of last year. The players, coaches and organization are aligned in that we want our pitchers to be as sharp, as fresh, and as strong as possible for the September postseason run. How we get there can be debated. We’re going to have to be nimble. It is important to keep all these guys fresh throughout the season.”
— J.P. Hoornstra
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