That’s what the Dodgers announced Andrew Heney was put on the injured list with problems in his left shoulder. utility player Zach McKintry was recalled to take his place on the list. No timeline has been given for Heaney’s return.
It’s a bit of a surprise move given that Heaney has had two excellent starts to the season so far with no sign of stress. In 10 1/3 innings of the campaign, he racked up 16 strikeouts against three walks without conceding a deserved run. In his MLB streak so far, mostly with the Angels, Heaney has shown enticing potential with massive strikeout numbers but has been consistently hampered by the long ball. In the six seasons from 2016 to 2021, he had a strikeout rate of 24% or more in each of them. However, his lowest ERA during that time was 4.15. Despite these conflicting results, the Dodgers took a chance on him and signed him to a one-year, $8.5 million contract for that season. Early results were clearly stellar, with Heaney adding a slider that got him two great starts early in his tenure with the Dodgers. However, he and the club now have to wait at least ten days to continue the experiment.
The Dodgers have one day off tomorrow and another a week later on the 28th, which will help them weather Heaney’s absence. It is possible that Tyler Anderson will initially make the leap from long relief to rotation.
As for McKinstry, the 26-year-old (27 next week) has appeared in games for the Dodgers in each of the last two seasons. In 179 appearances on the career plate, he has a .218/.264/.406 slash while playing on second base, third base and both outside corners.