Brett Anderson's back surgery will test the Dodgers' rotation depth
Los Angeles Dodgers left-hander Brett Anderson will have surgery to repair a bulging disk in his back Thursday and is expected to miss 3-5 months, according to multiple reports.
Anderson, 28, made a career-high 31 starts in his first season with the Dodgers in 2015, going 10-9 with a 3.69 ERA. The injury-prone lefty had made only 24 starts in the previous four seasons combined. In November, he accepted the Dodgers' one-year, $15.8 million qualifying offer for the 2016 season.
The Dodgers' rotation, of course, also will be without co-ace Zack Greinke, who signed as a free agent with the Arizona Diamondbacks during the offseason.
Clayton Kershaw still is atop the rotation, with newcomers Scott Kazmir and Kenta Maeda likely to slot behind him. However, left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu is being brought along slowly this spring after missing the entire 2015 season while rehabbing from shoulder surgery. And right-hander Brandon McCarthy will start the season on the disabled list as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery.
#Dodgers have committed $100 million to pitchers this year, the most in #MLB, per Spotrac. More than the entire payroll of 13 clubs.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 3, 2016
Alex Wood and Mike Bolsinger are healthy options for the back end of the LA rotation.
