Dodgers: Caleb Ferguson Unlikely to Be Ready For Opening Day

The Dodgers bullpen is packed with potential for 2022. Despite losing out on some big names in free agency, the guys that they have out there this year could be very good. It’s just a matter of putting it all together and getting all of that potential out of them. 

One guy that has been overlooked for a little bit now is Caleb Ferguson. With his pitch mix and ability to strike batters out, Fergie could be one of the Dodgers’ biggest bullpen additions this year. The 25-year-old is coming off of Tommy John surgery from the 2020 season when he played 21 games before going down. 

But it sounds like Ferguson isn’t quite there yet. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts admitted this week that they do want to be careful with him as he’s coming off of his surgery. They want to ensure that he is ready to go without limitations, which makes sense. 

Caleb Ferguson is also “unlikely” to be ready for opening day. Roberts said they want to be cautious with his workload coming off TJ and make sure when he comes back he won’t have any limitations

— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) March 30, 2022

When he was healthy in 2020, Ferguson found his rhythm in the bullpen. He struck out 27 batters in 18.2 innings and limited opposing hitters to a .222 batting average. More importantly, Ferguson has shown the Dodgers that he can get both sides of the plate out. He held right-handed hitters to a very low .192 batting average in 2020. 

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The Dodgers could be going into Opening Day with as many as 16 pitchers. With the MLB rule changes for the first month, teams do not have a limit on how many pitchers they can have on their roster to start the year. 

But they are also in an interesting position in terms of the number of southpaws. With Ferguson in the mix, the Dodgers could have as many as five left-handed pitchers out there during the first month of the season, Competition is going to be fierce. 

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