Dodgers News: Carlos Frias Likely To Be Examined In Los Angeles

After season-ending injuries to Brandon McCarthy and Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitching depth has been left rather thin this season.

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently identified starting pitching as a focus with the trade deadline approaching, and that may be furthered given Mike Bolsinger’s and Carlos Frias’ recent struggles.

Additionally, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Frias has been dealing with some back issues that could be more problematic than what Dodgers manager Don Mattingly originally thought:

Then Frias had to battle through lingering lower-back stiffness that cropped up last week at Wrigley Field and was believed to be from dehydration brought on by the flu. “We didn’t think it would be an issue,” said Mattingly.

Frias threw five innings Tuesday in Arizona, giving up seven hits and three runs while throwing 98 pitches. He labored through the outing and provided more details on the back issue that’s likely to result in him being examined once the team returns to Los Angeles:

Now, Frias and the club are concerned that it is an issue. Frias said he had lower back problems four years ago in the Minor Leagues, and he’ll probably be examined when the team returns home at the end of the week. “I don’t know. Something is bothering me,” said Frias. “It started when I warmed up before the game and was bad the whole game, worse the last couple of innings.”

Frias’ relatively short outing came one night after Mike Bolsinger was removed due to food poisoning, which placed more strain on the bullpen. Brandon Beachy, who is recovering from Tommy John Surgery, has continued to progress through his rehab assignment, and could be back around the All-star break to provide starting pitching depth while the Dodgers work on acquiring an arm.

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