Adam

Liberatore

Marmol added that Jake Woodford, Adam Liberatore, Johan Oviedo, Drew VerHagen and Aaron Brooks are being considered potential candidates. With Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes, who won’t throw for at least a month, sidelined due to injury, the door is wide open for someone to emerge out of that group. It’s another rotation battle that fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues and NL-only formats should watch closely.

Tough few days for Liberatore, who was also dealing with a sore right knee in the closing days of July. The 29-year-old southpaw has pitched well in 33 1/3 innings this season. He holds a 1.62 ERA and 39/13 K/BB ratio in that space. The Dodgers figure to shut him down for a time before devising a timetable for his recovery.

That should be the final step before his return to the Dodgers’ bullpen. Liberatore got roughed up in his one outing with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, but his elbow is feeling good and that’s what really matters at this point. The young lefty had a stellar 1.62 ERA in 33 1/3 innings with Los Angeles before coming down with elbow inflammation in late July.

Liberatore got roughed up for two runs on three hits in his one appearance with High-A Rancho Cucamonga, so Tuesday night’s dominant outing at the Triple-A level comes as an especially encouraging sign. The left-hander should be ready to rejoin the Dodgers’ bullpen by the end of this week. He boasts a 1.62 ERA in 33 1/3 innings this year in the majors.

He missed three weeks of action with a sore pitching elbow. Liberatore returns to a 1.62 ERA with the Dodgers.

Liberatore tweaked his knee while covering first base Sunday in St. Louis. “It’s not serious,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Tuesday’s win over the Rays. “There was a little bit of swelling. It wasn’t great. It was one of those you don’t want to keep pushing it.” Liberatore, 29, has an impressive 1.35 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and 39/12 K/BB ratio in 33 1/3 innings this season out of the Los Angeles bullpen.

He’ll make another appearance on Tuesday before being activated later in the week if all goes well. Liberatore boasts a 1.62 ERA out of the Dodgers’ bullpen this season.

Liberatore posted a 0.61 ERA in the first half but had elbow issues in the second half and posted a 9.45 ERA. He’s expected to be ready to go at the beginning of next season. Grant Dayton is a lock for the NLDS roster now.

Liberatore enjoyed a marvelous first half last season but wore down late in the year and eventually required surgery. He’s aiming to throw off a mound next week. Left-handers hit just .171 with 18 strikeouts in 82 at-bats against Liberatore in 2016.

Liberatore entered spring training without any limitations following elbow surgery last October, but he held a 4.05 ERA and 1.65 WHIP over six appearances. He’s probably best off fine-tuning things in the minors for a bit.