Dodgers rookie Julio Urias is in the mix for playoff rotation

Reporting from San Diego —  After keeping rookie pitcher Julio Urias on ice for a couple of weeks, the Dodgers have brought him back into the starting rotation for Thursday’s game against the San Diego Padres, and Manager Dave Roberts listed Urias as a candidate to start in the playoffs.

“It’s still on the table,” Roberts said. “When you get into the postseason, you’ve got to go with your best.”

Hours before a game at Petco Park, Roberts unveiled his initial rotation for the first three games of a National League division series, which starts Oct. 7 against Washington. Clayton Kershaw will pitch Game 1, Rich Hill Game 2 and Kenta Maeda Game 3.

Game 4 remains unsettled, although Urias, who has a record of 5-2 with a 3.53 earned-run average, is the most likely candidate. The Dodgers could also choose to use Kershaw on three days’ rest, but there is uncertainty about how his back would respond.

The Dodgers view Urias, a 20-year-old left-hander, as the fourth-most talented starting pitcher on the roster. On multiple occasions during the last two months, both Roberts and President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman indicated Urias would likely contribute as a reliever in October. The team is monitoring his innings in fear of overuse.

But Urias threw only 11 innings in September, pushing him to 119 this season. The Dodgers feel Urias has enough room to potentially make starts in the NLDS, the NL Championship Series and the World Series. Roberts would not commit to utilizing Urias in any of those three rounds, but Urias’ return shows his availability for the assignment.

“There were times when we felt we could have used his innings a little bit more, given where we were at in the rotation,” Roberts said. “But because we didn’t, and we had other guys step up in that role, it’s given us flexibility.”

Rotation is set for San Francisco

Hill will start Friday in San Francisco, with Kershaw following him. Kershaw preferred a shorter layoff in between his final start of the season and Game 1. The Dodgers also wanted to give Hill extra time to monitor the blisters on his left hand before Game 2.

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