The Los Angeles Dodgers will need all hands on deck this fall as they look to become the first Major League Baseball team in a quarter-century to repeat as World Series champions. Los Angeles will also need their ongoing injury misfortunes to change; and a surprising development within their organizational pitching depth points in that direction.
A new report from Orange County Register’s Bill Plunkett indicates that the Dodgers’ 2023 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, Kyle Hurt, might be rising from the ashes of his 2024 Tommy John surgery sooner than expected, with a 2025 MLB return suddenly in play.
Per Plunkett, Hurt was slated to make a rehab start on Tuesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets after throwing a live batting practice on Sunday at Dodger Stadium. He threw one inning, walked one, and allowed an earned run – but the results didn’t matter as much as the activity.
That’s Kyle Hurt getting ready to face a group of hitters, which includes Tommy Edman pic.twitter.com/AnZkVa9pmB
https://twitter.com/DodgerBlue1958/status/1961897581115740273
Kyle Hurt on verge of epic comeback for Dodgers?
Originally the No. 134 overall selection by the Miami Marlins in the 2020 MLB draft, Hurt was traded to the Dodgers in February 2021, and he earned a promotion to Triple-A by August 2023.
In 26 appearances (16 starts) between Triple-A and Double-A in 2023, Hurt tallied a 3.91 ERA with 152 strikeouts across 92 innings, a body of work that not only gave him the aforementioned Minor League Pitcher of the Year trophy, but also secured Hurt a spot in the Dodgers’ big league bullpen for Opening Day 2024.
After just three appearances out of the ‘pen in ’24, however, right shoulder inflammation ruined Hurt’s momentum. He was sent to the injured list on April 20 and optioned to Triple-A upon his activation two months later. He made another 13 appearances in Triple-A (13 2/3 innings, 3.07 ERA) before the disappointing revelation on July 24 that he’d be undergoing Tommy John.
Dodgers might benefit from Hurt’s arm, psychological edge
Recovering from TJ surgery is arduous enough for the average big leaguer, but it has to be even more challenging for a guy like Hurt, who was on the cusp of solidifying an MLB role for the first time, only to see his health betray him when he needed it the most.
However, it’s likely not lost on the Dodgers’ leadership that Hurt will be in a unique mental place upon his return: hardened mentally from passing through the brutal crucible of rehab and ignited by the desire to finally prove himself.
Provided Hurt’s arm holds up, the Dodgers might be interested in turning the above energy to their advantage as the season enters its final stretch, especially given their ever-fragile pitching depth.
As the games get more intense for Los Angeles on their road to a repeat, they’ll benefit from having some characters in their clubhouse who are embracing each day with a life-or-death attitude — a splash of ice water to the collective face of a Dodgers group that has suffered from a championship hangover at times throughout 2025.
And from a more pragmatic, baseball strategy standpoint, the Dodgers are in the business of adding arms to their staff right now, with the Andrew Heaney signing on Monday being the latest example.
Los Angeles is smart — it knows that while megastars like Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell will be paramount to a repeat, playoff games are won at the margins, with unlikely heroes often stepping up to make the difference. Heaney could play that role to a degree, but don’t rule out an even more cinematic comeback story: Hurt.
