Julio Urías injury update puts pressure on Dodgers prospects, front office

The Los Angeles Dodgers' offense better be ready to carry the load for this team over the next month, that's all we're going to say. Even before Julio Urías went down, it still felt like that because of how injured the rest of the pitching staff was.

But then Urías hit the 10-day injured list with a hamstring injury. Dustin May followed with elbow soreness and was placed on the 60-day IL. That's on top of Noah Syndergaard's subpar performance thus far and former top reliever Alex Vesia getting optioned to Triple-A.

Up came Gavin Stone and Bobby Miller to help fill the voids, but Stone has now been awful in his first three MLB starts and, though Miller's debut start was electric, fans can't draw long-term conclusions from it just yet.

But now it appears as if these two might be needed longer than expected after Urías suffered a setback with his hamstring issue and isn't expected to return for the series against the New York Yankees this weekend.

Manager Dave Roberts delivered the news on Saturday, which means the left-hander could be out for another couple weeks, further putting a strain on an already floundering pitching staff.

Dodgers' Julio Urías suffers setback and puts pressure on prospects, front office

This development puts more pressure on guys like Stone and Miller, in addition to Michel Grove, who could be recalled any day now. Dodgers fans can't say that's exactly conducive to the development of those arms.

Not only that, but the front office now faces an greater challenge to supplement this roster with pitching ahead of the trade deadline -- a task that already felt difficult before the Dodgers' picture become more grim.

This is LA's toughest month of baseball perhaps of the entire year, so they can't afford to lose ground in the NL West with the Diamondbacks at their tail, the Giants not too far behind, and the Padres about to endure a favorable stretch against the Marlins, Cubs, Mariners, Rockies and Guardians.

The Dodgers offense is absolutely raking, so that's a huge plus to focus on, but pitching remains the most important aspect of any contending team. The silver lining is that the team will be able to work in a number of arms over the next few weeks and get them acclimated to MLB action/high-pressure situations.

But they'll have to survive that stretch in order for it to be worthwhile. And even with Urías back in the mix healthy, the team needs more pitching, whether it's acquired via trade or through the many arms currently rehabbing for LA.

Expect a bumpy road for the foreseeable future. That should help normalize your expectations.