Dodgers announce opening series rotation with one question remaining

The Dodgers announced their first four starters on Saturday for the season-opening series with the Colorado Rockies.

The fifth starter? Well, that’s still up for debate.

So, who’s the leader in the clubhouse? Is it Dustin May? Tony Gonsolin? Perhaps the kid who finished off the World Series last year, Julio Urias?

Uh, yeah. About that…

See, Urias ended up in the four slot of Dave Roberts’ rotation mix to begin the year, and team brass was quite explicit that they haven’t decided on the fifth name in the pecking order yet.

Could LA really take David Price up on his offer to be a Swiss Army knife and keep him out of the rotation to begin the year?

Dodgers’ rotation projections: Is David Price out?

Gonsolin, of course, was Baseball America’s Rookie of the Year in 2020, though his postseason scuffles led us to theorize he might slide back to middle-inning duties when Price returned (a luxury if we’ve ever heard one).

Maybe we were barking up the wrong tree, though? After an entire year away from the game, Dave Roberts might rather manage Price’s innings out of the ‘pen before considering him as a starter midway through the season. His return will be a boon to this team no matter how he’s used, but we thought “David Price: Reliever” was just a pipe dream…until Saturday afternoon.

It’s also worth noting that Trevor Bauer, the team’s newest offseason import, seems to have snuck ahead of Walker Buehler in the pecking order. But far more importantly, Urias leapt the line entirely, leaving a few more experienced options in the dust.

Of course, Bauer himself didn’t do much in the early going Saturday to justify the promotion — or answer any questions.

Add Bauer to the list of struggling Dodgers starters to open the season, unfortunately, with Buehler’s velocity and Kershaw also lagging behind.

Of course, it won’t matter when the lights are brightest. But on the oft chance one of them succumbs to early issues, it’s clear LA will have some very impressive caddies waiting in the five spot and beyond.

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