Indicating an impending roster adjustment, left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski did not have a locker in the Los Angeles Dodgers clubhouse prior to Wednesday’s game. This observation strongly suggests that the team is preparing to recall right-handed pitcher Landon Knack to take the mound as the starter for Wednesday’s contest, implying Wrobleski will likely be optioned back down.
Wrobleski had been called up on Tuesday to fill the rotation spot vacated by Blake Snell, who was placed on the injured list with left shoulder inflammation. However, his outing against the Washington Nationals on Tuesday proved challenging, as he surrendered eight hits and eight earned runs over five innings pitched.
Los Angeles Dodgers Alter Rotation After 8 Run Performance
Following the game, Wrobleski acknowledged his struggles, stating, “For whatever reason today, the stuff just didn’t feel great. Command wasn’t where it should be. It’s frustrating to have that kind of result when I’ve been throwing the ball so good. You just have to take the positives – if there are any – and keep moving.”
Despite manager Dave Roberts previously indicating that Wrobleski could be a candidate to remain in the rotation for a few turns while Snell was sidelined, his difficult performance seemingly altered those plans. Wrobleski maintained a professional perspective, saying,
“I just come up here and try to do my job. Whenever they give me the ball just continue to try to get better each outing. Get through this one. This one’s tough. It hurts. It sucks. When you’re a competitor you don’t want this to happen. But at the end of the day it’s just about doing your job when you’re called upon and today I didn’t do a good job of that.”
He added, “You’ve just always got to stay ready. I felt I did a good job of that, but unfortunately came up today and had a tough outing. That’s baseball. That sucks. You don’t want it to happen but I clearly need to get better. I’m going to keep going and keep grinding like I have been and know that eventually the hard work is going to show.”
With Snell expected to miss at least a couple of weeks and currently shut down from throwing until next week, Landon Knack now appears poised to receive the opportunity to fill that void in the Dodgers’ starting rotation.