One of the pleasant surprises of the still-young 2022 baseball season has been Dodgers lefty Andrew Heaney. Unfortunately for L.A., he was placed on the injured list Wednesday due to left shoulder discomfort. As a corresponding move, utility man Zach McKinstry was recalled.
Heaney, 30, hasn't allowed an earned run through 10 1/3 innings this season. He's struck out 16 while having only given up four hits and three walks. Add it all up and he's 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA and 0.68 WHIP. He's long had big upside, but the results have been mostly mediocre. The Dodgers helped him retool his delivery and have had him stop throwing a curveball in favor of a "sweeper" (a slider variation). It's a very small sample, but the results to this point had him looking like an All-Star.
The Dodgers have Dustin May still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and Trevor Bauer on administrative leave, but they still have the pitching depth to absorb this blow. Walker Buehler, Julio Urías, Clayton Kershaw and Tony Gonsolin remain in the rotation. David Price could always return to his former role as a starter, but left-hander Tyler Anderson probably fits the bill best here.
In two relief outings this season, Anderson has a 2.25 ERA and 0.50 WHIP with eight strikeouts against no walks in eight innings. The most important part there would be the workload per appearance. Anderson threw 59 pitches in four innings on April 9 and 55 pitches in four innings April 15. Given more than four days' rest, a pitcher like Anderson could increase his workload by at least 15 pitches, so he won't really be that limited. That is to say, he's essentially stretched out as a starter already. Heaney's spot in the rotation comes up on Saturday, so Anderson will be on more than full rest from a starting pitching perspective.
The Dodgers enter Wednesday's action against the Braves with an 8-3 record.
