In a shocking blurb of news from MLB insider and New York Post reporter Jon Heyman, Dodgers ace Julio Urias may have suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury. In a Friday column, Heyman had this to report…
Julio Urias has begun to play catch, but may still be three to four weeks away from returning to the Dodgers. The left-hander is such a gamer, he pitched against the Cardinals last week at less than 100 percent, a mistake.
Via NY Post
Where Jon is getting his information I’d like to know because this contradicts all other recent reports on Julio. The Dodgers have maintained that the pitcher should be activated as soon as he is eligible on June 2 where he’d face the Yankees at Dodger Stadium. However, Heyman is one of MLB super agent Scott Boras’ most trusted mouthpieces and could have shared something the Dodgers are keeping mum on.
Urias is expected to throw off a mound in Tampa either today or on Saturday to test his injured left hamstring.
“I feel good,” he said earlier this week. “I think we caught it early. I think now that we’ve had a couple days in the training room the bruising is coming down and the swelling is coming down. I feel it’s getting better every day.”
What Happens if Julio Urias Actually Is Out Longer Than Anticipated?
The hope is that Julio will be able to return next weekend in Los Angeles but if he’s not, that would likely just extend the runway for rookie right-hander Bobby Miller in the starting rotation. If the team decides they’d rather send Miller back to Triple-A for some reason, fellow rookie righty Michael Grove should be just about ready to come off the injured list by that point.
He’s missed the last five weeks recovering from a groin strain.
Season Long Struggles for Urias
One reason Scott Boras may want to delay Julio’s return from the IL is that the left-hander is pitching for a massive payday this offseason. The free-agent-to-be hasn’t gotten off to the best of starts in his platform season, so a dramatized injury would give Boras an excuse for the pitcher’s down year while selling him around the league.
Reports have Boras seeking upwards of $250 million this offseason for the 27-year-old ace.
In 10 starts this year, Urias is posting his worst ERA in 6 years with a 4.39 mark over 55.1 innings. He’s allowing a career high home run rate, more than double his career average (2.3 HR9 compared to 1.0 HR9). Over the previous two seasons, he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball, going 37-10 with a 2.57 ERA from 2021-2022.
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