Dodgers place pitcher Alex Wood on injured list

HOUSTON —  The Dodgers placed left-hander Alex Wood on the injured list with shoulder inflammation Tuesday, dealing another blow to the starting rotation less than a week into the season.

Right-hander Josh Sborz was recalled to take Wood’s place on the 30-man active roster. He will join the bullpen.

Wood was shelved after throwing 69 pitches in three innings in his 2020 debut Saturday against the San Francisco Giants. Wood battled command trouble from the onset. He threw 32 of those pitches in the second inning.

After the game, Wood said he felt fine and had found a rhythm in the third inning before he was removed. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Wood, who didn’t travel with the team to Houston, had been dealing with shoulder discomfort for “a couple of weeks.”

Roberts dismissed the notion that the nearly four-month shutdown and the season’s quick ramp-up — a three-week training camp — were factors in Wood’s injury.

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“After that start, [he] didn’t feel great,” Roberts said. “And, also, we were fortunate enough to information on his arm slot dropping a little bit and that’s kind of a notifier. So, we just felt that to just kind of be smart, get a scan, which we did, that was clear...Don’t really have a timetable right now but I think for us I expect him back soon.”

Wood, 29, rejoined the Dodgers on a one-year contract after a spending most of last season with the Cincinnati Reds on the injured list battling a back injury. He returned to Los Angeles — where he had spent the previous 3½ seasons — healthy but is now dealing with something else.

Clayton Kershaw is the top option to replace Wood in the rotation. Kershaw is eligible to come off the injured list Friday, coinciding with Wood’s next scheduled start, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.. Kershaw was placed on the IL with back stiffness hours before he was scheduled to start opening day on Thursday.

Kershaw traveled with the team to Texas and threw a bullpen session Tuesday. If Kershaw isn’t the choice, the Dodgers could turn to Dennis Santana or stitch together a bullpen game. Other options in the team’s player pool at their alternate training site include Tony Gonsolin, Josiah Gray, and Mitch White.

Roberts said Julio Urías, who would be on regular rest Friday, isn’t a possibility because the team wants to give him additional rest. He is scheduled to start Saturday.