Brandon Morrow unlikely to pitch for Dodgers in 2021

Unfortunately, it looks as if we won’t get to see Brandon Morrow have his reunion with the Dodgers in 2021. When asked about an update on the reliever, Dave Roberts said Morrow hasn’t responded well to treatment and he isn’t throwing anymore.

“He just hasn’t responded to treatment,” Roberts said. “He might be back home or at the alternate site. He’s still going through rehab.”

During the offseason, the 36-year-old signed a minor-league contract with LA. Injuries had hurt Morrow badly over the years, as his last major-league game was July 15, 2018. During spring training, Roberts talked about the team being cautious with Morrow as they tried to build him back up. He said that if all went well, he expected Morrow to be making an impact for the team later in the year.

Sadly, looks like he won’t have that chance.

“I think it’s the shoulder, safe to say it’s been the arm,” Roberts said. “It’s been a tough road for him and his family. I don’t know if he’ll play this year. I’m hopeful it works out, but I just don’t know.”

Roberts also added that Morrow has been shut down and hasn’t thrown a baseball in weeks.

Back in 2017, Morrow appeared in 45 games for the Dodgers. He went 6-0 with a 2.06 ERA. He averaged 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings, his highest since 2010. He was the most used reliever for the Dodgers during their 2017 postseason run. He appeared in a total of 14 games, posting a 3.95 ERA. He pitched in all seven World Series games.

Could we see Josiah Gray make a spot-start for LA?

With Dustin May currently on the 10-day IL, the Dodgers are down a starter. However, there’s a chance the Dodgers could go with a four-man rotation the next couple of weeks and not need to worry about sliding someone into the rotation.

After this three-game series in Chicago, the Dodgers have an off-day on Thursday. Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw and Trevor Bauer are the three expected starters for the series.

According to the weather in Chicago, and as Roberts mentioned, there’s a chance of rain on Monday, which could potentially impact the game and push everything back, allowing for more rest for pitchers.

The Dodgers will resume on Friday, where Julio Urias would make the start. Then Saturday you could go to Buehler, who would be on normal rest. LA then has an off-day that Monday, followed by a two-game series against the Mariners and then another off-day. The team will have three days off over an eight-day stretch, which allows them to work with a four-man rotation for at least two weeks.

However, there is still the chance we could see someone make a spot start. Could that be Josiah Gray, LA’s top prospect? Likely not.

“We’re just not there yet,” Roberts said. “He’s our top prospect. We think very highly of him. We’re just not there yet.”

It’s also not as easy to just call him up and make a start. Gray currently isn’t on the 40-man roster, so the Dodgers would have to make a corresponding move, which isn’t worth it if he were to make only one start. Plus, they don’t need him whatsoever. Have him start the season in the minors and continue to develop until the team truly needs him.