Dodgers’ Brock Stewart suffers setback in shoulder recovery

LOS ANGELES — The trade deadline acquisition the Dodgers hoped would make the biggest impact for them won’t be ready to pitch anytime soon.

Right-hander Brock Stewart made just four appearances for the Dodgers after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins before going on the injured list with a sore shoulder. An examination found inflammation in the rotator cuff and fluid in the bursa sac, but no structural damage.

Stewart received a cortisone injection and platelet-rich plasma

“Already it’s calmed down,” Stewart said shortly after receiving the injections. “The (range of) motion is good. So yeah, I’m optimistic. … One day at a time.”

Stewart began playing catch last week but still felt discomfort in the shoulder and received another cortisone injection, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. After another brief shutdown from throwing, Stewart has started playing catch again.

The setback in his recovery makes a return before the end of the regular season more challenging. But Roberts is not ready to rule that out.

“We’re still hopeful at some point in time in September we’ll get him back,” Roberts said Saturday.

Stewart has had a history of shoulder and elbow injuries throughout his career and was cautious in making any predictions about returning from this one.

“Obviously, nothing I haven’t been through before, unfortunately,” he said shortly after going on the IL earlier this month. “Timelines are great and everything, plans are great and everything, but I still like to take it one day at a time, no matter if I’m healthy. From earlier this season up to this point, I took it one day at a time. And I’m not going to do anything different now. Just take everything one day at a time, and try to put my best foot forward and attack the rehab.

“The only thing on my mind is getting back and helping the team, so I’m gonna do my best.”

HURT’S GOOD

Right-hander Kyle Hurt returned to the mound at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, 13 months after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Hurt made the trip from Arizona to throw live batting practice to a trio of Dodgers – Tommy Edman, Justin Dean and Dalton Rushing.

It was a last stop for Hurt before joining Triple-A Oklahoma City and pitching two innings on Tuesday.

“It’s really exciting. It’s been a very long 13 months, and I’m just really happy to be back to doing what I was doing,” Hurt said.

Hurt has had plenty of company at Camelback Ranch during his rehab with other pitchers like Emmet Sheehan and River Ryan (Tommy John), Gavin Stone, Michael Grove and Brusdar Graterol (shoulder surgeries), also spending time there.

“There’s a lot of low points,” he said of the long process. “Just every day, you go into the facility and you just got to grind and get back to where you were at. Things aren’t going to feel great every day, so you just got to keep going.

“It’s great having other guys around. Stoney, Sheehan was there for a little bit, Grover, Brusdar, River. It’s awesome being there with those guys who can push each other, so just being around them makes it a lot easier. But it is a tough road, and it’s just so fulfilling being back here and facing hitters and then going back to Triple-A to get back in some games. So I’m just really excited.”

PITCHING PLANS

The Dodgers were off Thursday and will be off again on Monday. So they will shorten up their six-man starting rotation this time through. Sheehan will be skipped. He will be available out of the bullpen beginning Sunday instead.

That means Clayton Kershaw will start Tuesday in Pittsburgh with Shohei Ohtani’s next pitching start on Wednesday and Blake Snell on Thursday.

Four of Ohtani’s past five pitching starts have come the day before an off day on the schedule. There wasn’t an off day following Ohtani’s start in Colorado 10 days ago and Roberts did not put him in the lineup the next day. That was a unique situation because of the altitude in Colorado, Roberts said.

“I plan on Shohei DH-ing on Thursday,” Roberts said.

Ohtani has missed just three games all year – two while on paternity leave following the birth of his daughter and the one in Colorado.

Pirates ace Paul Skenes is on track to start one of the games in Pittsburgh, most likely on Thursday.

COMING SOON

Right-hander Micahel Kopech faced five batters for OKC on Friday night, walked threw, hit one, threw a wild pitch and struck out one. He threw just six strikes in 22 pitches. But that completed his rehab assignment, and he rejoined the Dodgers in Los Angeles this weekend. He will travel with the team to Pittsburgh and likely be activated from the injured list before Tuesday’s game.

“I think it’s just competition, focusing. I really do,” Roberts said. “Once he gets here, the level of focus is heightened.”

In seven games with OKC on this rehab assignment (following surgery to repair meniscus damage in his right knee), Kopech allowed seven runs in 5⅓ innings (three runs each in his first and final rehab outing) on five hits, nine walks and a hit batter while throwing three wild pitches and striking out five.