Editorials

Dodgers News: Carlos Frias Expected Back Soon; Role Unknown

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Once the fifth starter in the Los Angeles Dodgers rotation this season, right-hander Carlos Frias is currently in limbo.

The right-hander is finally healthy, but isn’t on the active roster because the Dodgers need to make a corresponding move on the 40-man roster. Frias was placed on the 60-day disabled list back in August with a back issue, but is now ready to return. When Jose Peraza’s hamstring issue became a bit more serious, it was thought that he could go to the 60-day DL in order to bring back Frias, but that changed on Tuesday.



While the roster move is still in the air, manager Don Mattingly did talk about Frias’ role once he does come back. The young, hard-throwing right-hander will pitch out of the bullpen, but the exact role is still unknown.

“I don’t know if we quite know what we’re looking at,” Mattingly said. “Not necessarily a long guy, we’ve got plenty of those right now. I think we’d like to see him in a role coming in with needing a couple of outs or maybe seeing him in a multi-inning situation.”

Frias has a career 4.50 ERA as a reliever the past two seasons, tossing 28 innings in 15 appearances. He struggled a bit to go deep into games as a starter this year, as he had issues keeping his pitches sharp over a long period of time. A role as a reliever could suit Frias for now, allowing him to showcase his power fastball and hard slider. He can rely on less pitches in order to be more effective.

The 25-year-old should be back by the weekend series against the Pittsburgh Pirates and could give Mattingly and the Dodgers another option late in the game.

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Vincent Samperio

Vince is currently the Associate Editor and Social Media Manager for Dodgers Nation. Hailing from San Pedro, CA and a student at Cal State Long Beach, Vince has previously written for the Daily 49er and LASF Magazine.

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