Urias closer to returning from hamstring injury

DODGERS NOTES

Will Smith of the Dodgers is called out on strikes to end the seventh inning of a 6-3 loss to the New York Yankees. KEITH BIRMINGHAM – STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Dodgers starter Julio Urias is getting closer to rejoining the team’s rotation. JEFF ROBERSON – THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

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By Bill Plunkett

bplunkett@scng.com

LOS ANGELES >> Julio Urias took another step toward getting back on a big league mound by throwing off a big league mound.

Urias threw approximately 30 pitches off the Dodger Stadium mound Saturday, testing the left hamstring he injured during his start May 18 in St. Louis. As he walked into the dugout afterwards, Urias flashed a thumbs-up and said, “All good.”

If things continue to be all good with his injured leg, Urias will throw a three- to four-inning simulated game Tuesday in Cincinnati and would then be ready to come off the injured list possibly the following Sunday in Philadelphia.

“He was good today. I would say probably about 80%,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He used his entire pitch mix. Didn’t look like he was favoring it (the injured leg) at all.”

Over his final six starts before the injury, Urias had a 6.25 ERA and allowed 11 home runs in 31 2/3 innings. This three-week break could be a positive thing for the left-hander, Roberts said.

“I think if you look at the last few years, with a lot of our pitchers, they’ve had a little reset, or a break or a blow in the season,” he said. “I do think that this two-, three-week situation is going to reset him, and finish the rest of the season strong.”

Having Urias back in the rotation would certainly help that group. The Dodgers have had two rookies in the rotation since Urias went to the IL — first, Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller, now Miller and Michael Grove.

Roberts said the Dodgers plan to start Tony Gonsolin, Noah Syndergaard and Clayton Kershaw during the three-game series in Cincinnati. That would line Grove, Miller and Gonsolin up for the weekend series in Philadelphia with a day off after the series.

If Urias throws a sim game Tuesday, he would not be ready to start until next Sunday at the earliest. The Dodgers could wait until the start of the following homestand to activate Urias or start him in Philadelphia and push Gonsolin back.

Either way, it will likely be Grove or Miller who loses his spot in the rotation. Syndergaard and his bloated ERA are another option, but more problematic – he is not likely to be of any use in a bullpen role.

“I think that conversation is gonna happen,” Roberts said about evaluating rotation options when Urias returns. “But right now, obviously, we know that Michael is taking the start today (Saturday) and we’ll see what happens his next start.

“Outside of that, it’s gonna be Tony on Tuesday, then Noah and Clayton on Thursday. So once we get to that point, we’ll have to make some decisions.”

Roster moves

In order to activate Grove from the IL for his start Saturday, the Dodgers optioned left-hander Justin Bruihl to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Bruihl is 1-0 with a 4.41 ERA in 14 appearances for the Dodgers this season.

Also, right-hander Phil Bickford was moved to the IL with lower back tightness. In his place, right-hander Tayler Scott was added to the roster. It is Scott’s second time on the active roster, but he has yet to appear in a game for the Dodgers. He had a 1.37 ERA in 19 appearances for OKC.

Bickford leads the Dodgers with 27 innings pitched out of the bullpen. But his ERA has ballooned to a team-high 7.33 over his past seven appearances, during which he has allowed 12 runs on 10 hits (including four home runs) in just 7 1/3 innings.