Dodgers can’t afford to skip Max Scherzer’s next start after David Price injury update

If you haven’t accepted by now that injuries are going to haunt the Los Angeles Dodgers for as long as their season lasts, then you haven’t been paying much attention at all these last five months.

For the sake of time, we’ll skip through the history lesson.

After all, a new player could hit the injured list by the time we finished that.

In all seriousness, the Dodgers’ pitching rotation has been especially depleted by injuries this season. Unfortunately, we have to cross that bridge again in light of the recent update on Friday’s anticipated opener, David Price.

Dealing with elbow soreness over his last few starts, the Dodgers are expected to place Price on the 10-day IL this weekend.

That will further drain Los Angeles’ pitching staff and gives the club no other choice but to keep Max Scherzer’s turn in the rotation.

The Dodgers can’t afford to skip Max Scherzer’s turn in the rotation.

It’ll be up to the Dodgers to find a temporary replacement for Price, who joined the rotation on July 9 filling in for the injured Clayton Kershaw. Surely, they can’t further tax their relievers by scheduling another bullpen game, but their options are limited with so many starters already shelved with injuries.

Anyway, this news all but confirms that Scherzer, who left his last start with hamstring tightness, will make his next scheduled start. It’s worth noting that the three-time Cy Young was already planning to do so, but don’t you think the Dodgers would’ve liked to give him a week to rest up if they could?

In a perfect world, they’d skip Scherzer’s turn in the rotation to ensure he doesn’t further aggravate the hamstring. However, with Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin and Price now on ice — on top of the hurlers who were already done for the season — Scherzer, though already tough as nails, will have to take one for the team.

This will probably end up being a walk in the park for Scherzer, who apparently ran sprints in the Oracle Park outfield on Friday without any issues. However, we never like when players roll the dice on hamstring injuries.

Without enough rest, those could flare up in an instant. While everything Scherzer’s accomplished in his career would suggest otherwise, he’s human and is therefore susceptible to the occasional soft-tissue injury.

Maybe we’re overreacting, but Scherzer has been an absolute horse behind Walker Buehler at the top of the Dodgers rotation since the trade deadline, going 4-0 with a 1.29 ERA, 50 strikeouts and a 0.771 WHIP over six starts.

We’d love it if the Dodgers could exercise caution with the 37-year-old superstar, but that just isn’t possible with Price expected to hit the IL.

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