Dodgers News: Pitching Prospects Have Tommy John Surgery

Last week, there was speculation that the Dodgers would protect right-handed pitcher Carlos Duran by placing him on the 40-man roster and protecting him against the upcoming Rule 5 draft.

In weeks following, Baseball America’s Kyle Glaser reported news that revealed why the young pitcher wasn’t in fact protected.

Dodgers prospect news: RHPs Edgardo Henriquez and Carlos Duran both had Tommy John surgery recently. The two big, hard-throwing righthanders were among the Dodgers top pitching prospects at the Class A levels.
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) November 30, 2022

In addition to Duran, fellow righty Edgardo Henriquez also underwent Tommy John Surgery. Henriquez experienced his injury on August 9 in the second inning of a game against the Lake Elsinore Storm, while Duran’s last outing of the season occurred on September 6.

Henriquez isn’t eligible for the Rule 5, so the Dodgers can only anticipate a healthy return. The 20-year-old posted a 4.54 ERA in Low-A in 2022.

On the other hand, Duran isn't off the table in regards to the Rule 5 draft.

Teams actually pick TJ guys fairly often in the Rule 5 draft. Gives them a free year with the player w/o having to put him on the active roster. (i.e. Pirates took Jose Soriano No. 1 overall in 2020 after he had TJ)
— Kyle Glaser (@KyleAGlaser) November 30, 2022

In 2022, the 21-year-old posted a 4.25 ERA at High-A. Teams may not be willing to commit a roster spot to him, but if they were to pluck away Duran, teams would have to immediately add him to their 40-man roster.

At the start of spring training, that team could then transfer him to the 60-day injured list to free up a spot on the 40-man. In doing so, this would possibly impact who they can add to the team in the offseason. If an issue did arise in needing another roster spot, the team would just have to return the pitcher back to the Dodgers.