The Dodgers made a roster move Saturday that has a little irony baked in. Blake Treinen is headed to the injured list with elbow inflammation, and the guy replacing him? Chayce McDermott, the pitcher Los Angeles just traded for from Baltimore less than two weeks ago.
McDermott hasn’t faced his old team yet. That happens Sunday. But he’ll be in the bullpen when the Orioles come to town, wearing a different uniform.
Treinen’s setback opens a spot
Treinen’s elbow inflammation is one of those injuries that makes you nervous given his history. The right-hander has been effective when healthy, but staying on the mound has been a challenge. The Dodgers didn’t announce a timetable for his return, which is never a great sign.
So they pulled McDermott up from Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’d been getting stretched out in the Dodgers system. He threw in OKC to get familiar with the new organization, and now Dave Roberts is calling him up for bullpen depth.
McDermott’s weird path back to Baltimore
The Orioles traded McDermott on April 26. Now he’s facing them days later for his new team. That’s not how most guys draw it up.
McDermott was once a well-regarded prospect in Baltimore’s system. But he’s only pitched in five MLB games total, putting up a 4.38 ERA. Most of his time has been in the minors, bouncing through Norfolk, Fayetteville and now Oklahoma City. The Dodgers clearly see something they like, enough to plug him in right away.
He’ll share the bullpen with Shohei Ohtani, who just got back from paternity leave. And once Treinen is healthy, he’ll rejoin them too.
Los Angeles came into Saturday with a 49-27 record, best in the National League. Yoshinobu Yamamoto started against the Orioles and looked sharp early, mixing his fastball, splitter and sinker. He walked one guy in the first inning but stranded him.
McDermott wasn’t the headline move Saturday. Ohtani’s return was. But for a guy who just got traded and now gets to face his old team a few days later, it’s a pretty interesting footnote.
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