Dodgers News: Julio Urias Start Pushed Back Over Fingernail Issue
It hasn't been a smooth ride this year for Julio Urias.
He firmly established himself as one of MLB's best pitchers when he led the NL with a 2.16 ERA last season, but 2023 hasn't been a repeat performance.
He struggled to begin this campaign, then missed about a month with a nagging groin injury, only to return and experience the same inconsistency that was a hallmark of his early season.
It was more of the same for Urias last Tuesday, when he scattered eight hits over six innings and certainly didn't look sharp, even though he allowed only three runs in the Dodgers' extra-inning win over the Toronto Blue Jays.
He'd been set to make his next start, but his next appearance was pushed back to Thursday in order for his cracked fingernail issue to resolve, per Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
"The plan is for [newly acquired starter Lance] Lynn to start Tuesday against the Oakland A’s, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, giving him five days’ rest since his last start with the White Sox. Right-hander Tony Gonsolin will start Wednesday while left-hander Julio Urias gets pushed back to Thursday, That will give Urias eight days off between starts to let a cracked nail resolve itself, Roberts said." (via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register)
So Urias won't take the mound until the series finale against the A's, and in the meantime he'll watch new teammate Lance Lynn make his Dodger debut.
Lynn was acquired earlier this week with the hopes that he'll provide more depth in the rotation given Urias' struggles and Clayton Kershaw still nursing left shoulder soreness.
In the same way that the Dodgers hope Lynn can provide some stability, the same applies to Urias, who's in the midst of his most disappointing season as a Dodger.
