It’s fair to say that no Dodger has been through as much as Ross Stripling. The 30-year-old pitcher has long paid his dues waiting for a spot in the rotation. He has excelled in the spot when given a chance, even making the All-Star team, but just can’t seem to catch a break with the depth that LA has. For a brief moment this summer, it looked like he would finally have an opportunity to start after the trade with the Angels was announced. However, hurt feelings and delayed action caused the trade to fall through, leaving Stripling back at square one.
Stripling recently aired his feelings about the topic on The Scribes of Summer Podcast, and reflected on the lost opportunity.
“When it kind of fell through, Andrew [Friedman], and Mark [Walter], and Dave Roberts were kind of saying, ‘You are going to get a chance to be a starter. And then when we announced Julio [Urias] as the number four before games even started. And Alex Wood was basically clearly the number five, and they announced that. That’s kind of when I reflected, and kind of was like, Crap, I don’t know if I really got a chance to earn that fifth spot this spring.”
It’s one thing to hear your name in rumors, but to hear that you have been traded only to have it fall through has to be tough. Considering how he was a shoo-in for a spot on the Angels’ rotation, it’s no surprise that this left Strip with a bitter taste.
“It might have been a pretty cool opportunity to compete for an Opening Day role with the Angels, versus, basically, looking like I never had a chance to make the rotation with the Dodgers.”
With the Dodgers all but confirming that their rotation was set to be Kershaw, Buehler, Price, Urias, and Wood, Stripling was on the outside looking in again. He has been nothing but professional and supportive as a teammate, but you can’t fault him for having feelings too. Many Dodger fans were sad to hear he was leaving but happy that he was finally getting the shot he deserved. Hopefully, with a condensed season, he might get his opportunity if the Dodgers decide to go with a 6-man rotation to help with fatigue. He has definitely earned the chance to toe the rubber with some consistency.
