Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Josh Beckett is in the midst of a great season, but it appears that a hip injury will slow him down temporarily.
The Dodgers announced Tuesday that they added their starter to the disabled list:
After pitching five shutout innings against the Colorado Rockies on July 6, the 34-year-old right-hander lowered his ERA to 2.26 for the season and improved his record to 6-5 overall. Unfortunately, he left the game after just 82 pitches because he hurt himself on the bases, according to Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Times:
Beckett discussed the issue after the game, saying, “I tweaked the hip. It’s been bothering me. We’ll see where we’re at tomorrow. It’s been a little more of a battle the last couple of weeks. The day I pitch is the best I feel all week,” via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com.
Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times does not think Beckett’s hip injury is too serious:
Beckett is coming off a few injury-filled seasons with the Dodgers, so any issue should be taken seriously. As Shaikin points out, Beckett is no stranger to the DL:
However, the Dodgers will hope that this is just a mild setback before the second half of the 2014 MLB season. Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register notes that this will take away from the strength of the team:
Fortunately, the unit’s overall depth should help mitigate the loss.
Pedro Baez, who the team recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque to replace Beckett, allowed two runs in his only career inning with Los Angeles earlier this season. He has compiled a 3.54 ERA in 34 games in Double-A and Triple-A this year.
Beckett will be available to return on July 22, provided that his DL stint lasts only 15 days.
If the Dodgers are going to keep ahead of the San Francisco Giants in the NL West and make a run this year, they’ll need Beckett healthy for the long haul.
Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com