Dodgers Roster: Lefty Pitcher Elects Free Agency
If you're a diehard fan of the Dodgers, you probably remember L.A. signing left-handed pitcher Robbie Erlin to a minor-league contract last offseason. It happened during the lockout, when news was hard to come by, but because it was a minor-league deal, it was allowed to happen even when nothing else was.
You might even remember Erlin getting called up to the team in early May, spending a few days on the roster, and then being designated for assignment to make room for Ryan Pepiot on the 40-man roster.
But did you remember he actually pitched in two games for the Dodgers? If so, you have a better memory than we do. But it's true, Erlin pitched on back-to-back days for Los Angeles. On May 8, he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in a 7-1 win over the the Cubs in Chicago. The next day, in the series opener in Pittsburgh, he finished another game, this time allowing a double and a two-run homer to extend the Pirates' lead to 5-0 in an eventual 5-1 loss.
Erlin was DFA'd a couple days later, cleared waivers, and was outrighted to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he spent the rest of the season. The eight-year big-leaguer who spent 2021 in playing in Japan posted a 7.01 ERA in 21 games (14 starts) with OKC.
And now, he's no longer a Dodger.
Erlin is 32 years old and hasn't posted an ERA below 5.00 in the big leagues since 2018, so the future doesn't look bright for the former Padre. But he's made a few million dollars in his career, and Wikipedia doesn't say anything about a wife or kids, so perhaps he's content to keep bouncing around the minors with an occasional brief call-up when a team is desperate for a soft-tossing lefty.
Either way, we wish him well and feel bad for forgetting he existed for a while.
