John

Ely

The move clears him from the Dodgers’ 40-man roster. Ely, 25, appeared in five games with the Dodgers this season, but spent the majority of the year at the Triple-A level, posting a 5.99 ERA over 25 starts.

Ely was having a very solid season in the rotation at Triple-A, boasting a 14-7 record, 3.20 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 165/36 K/BB ratio over 168 2/3 innings. No word yet on how he’ll be utilized, but he looks like a strong option to take over Chad Billingsley’s spot in the rotation.

Ely started 18 games for the Dodgers in 2010, but has appeared in just seven games in the majors the past two seasons. However, he had a 3.20 ERA in 168-plus innings at the Triple-A level last year and could be an option for the Astros’ rotation at some point in 2013.

Ely, who was acquired from the Dodgers over the winter, posted an ugly 9.90 ERA over 10 innings this spring. The 26-year-old right-hander will serve as rotation depth in the minors.

Ely’s chances of landing a rotation spot have been boosted by Jordan Lyles’ struggles and Erik Bedard’s injury. However, he didn’t really help himself until today; he entered with a 12.27 ERA through two spring appearances. Ely probably won’t have any fantasy value if he does win the spot.

Ely failed to earn a rotation spot after a poor showing in spring training, and now he’ll miss the season. The soon-to-be 27-year-old isn’t eligible for arbitration until after the 2014 season.

The surgery will be performed by Dr. James Andrews. Ely failed to win a rotation spot this spring and will likely be a bit behind going into spring training next year.

With Vicente Padilla sidelined and knuckleballer Charlie Haeger looking far too hittable, the Dodgers really don’t have a choice. Ely, a 26-year-old right-hander, should be avoided in all fantasy formats.

He struck out seven and walked none. Ely was more impressive than his 7.50 ERA suggested in his major league debut last week against the Mets. He might have a little fantasy value while he continues to occupy a slot in the Dodger rotation.

Pretty nice reward after tossing 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball on Thursday night. The demotion of Ely means that Carlos Monasterios is the odds-on favorite to start against the Diamondbacks next Tuesday.