Dodgers To Be Without RHP Ryan Pepiot For Much Longer Than Anticipated

The young right-hander has suffered yet another setback.

The Dodgers starting rotation was hit with tons of bad news on Thursday. First, it was the official announcement of RHP Dustin May heading to the injured list, without a true timetable for a return. The Dodgers are hoping to get him back in four to six weeks, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't seem so confident in that timeline.

May isn't the only one who's going to be out for a while, though.

Roberts also spoke about injured RHP Ryan Pepiot, who's been out since the end of spring training with an oblique injury.

Roberts said that Pepiot is not progressing at all, and that he won't be back for a while.

"He’s still having some soreness," Roberts said on Thursday. "He just hasn’t gotten where he needs to, to kind of progress. So right now, he’s still a ways out."

"It's going to be at least a month and we're looking probably beyond that." Dave Roberts with an update on Dustin May and a few of the roster moves. pic.twitter.com/x3ZYiXxsgK

— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) May 18, 2023

Roberts mentioned Pepiot likely not being ready until after the All-Star break, which would be the middle of July.

That's a tough blow for Pepiot, who was initially slated to be the team's No. 5 starter on Opening Day with the injury to Tony Gonsolin. But instead, Pepiot opened the season on the injured list, was moved to the 60-day IL and now has suffered yet another setback, pushing his return back to July at the earliest.

The Dodgers starting pitching depth is definitely being tested early in the year. With May and Pepiot out, and with Michael Grove apparently still not ready to start, the Dodgers are left with rookie RHP Gavin Stone as the last real option.

Fortunately, Grove should be ready soon, which will give the Dodgers two options for that spot. However, with Julio Urias and Noah Syndergaard struggling early, what was once a strength is now starting to look like a real weakness for this Dodgers team.

If the struggles continue for this starting rotation, the Dodgers could be forced into making a move before the trade deadline for a starting pitcher. Come postseason time, a strong starting staff is one of the most important things a winner needs to have, especially in the early rounds. The Dodgers can't afford to enter the postseason with a weak starting staff, so we'll see how the next few months unfold.