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ANALYSIS: The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled their second-ranked pitching prospect Gavin Stone from Triple-A Oklahoma and placed right-hander Dustin May (elbow) on the 15-day injured list. Stone will make his return start on Monday night.
He has been mediocre in Triple-A this season. Through eight starts with Oklahoma this season, he owns a 4.04 ERA with a career-low 27.5% strikeout rate and a career-high 12.8% walk rate.
While he has struggled this season, Stone was lights-out in 2022. In six Triple-A games in 2022, he posted a 1.16 ERA, a 35.5% strikeout rate, and a .169 opponent batting average.
It won't be Stone's first taste of the majors, as he made his debut earlier this month. The 24-year-old allowed four runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out one across four innings in his only major league start against the Phillies.
The Central Arkansas product has climbed from a late-round unknown to a top-50 prospect off the back of an elite changeup. His changeup has a velocity in the mid-80s, with around 33 inches of vertical drop. His changeup was successful against Philadelphia, with a .200 batting average on 33 pitches.
Gavin Stone Cold Changeups. 👌 pic.twitter.com/lW0iEZQM5Q
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) March 6, 2023
He supplements that changeup with a solid mid-to-high-90s fastball and a solid mid-80s slider that has room for development. In his start against Philadelphia, his fastball had a .625 batting average but a .289 expected batting average as well. His slider was thrown just nine times in that start, with a .500 batting average and a 75% whiff rate.
Stone will make two starts this week, with his first being on Monday against the Atlanta Braves. Atlanta's offense ranks second in home runs (77), third in OPS (.795), and seventh in runs scored (240). After that tough challenge, Stone will have to face Tampa Bay Rays. Tampa's offense is first in home runs (91), first in OPS (.847), first in total bases (816), and second in runs scored (290).
While a two-start pitcher can provide incredible value, there is a good chance that Stone will put up duds in both starts this week. He's a risky option in Week 9, but with his history of success, Stone should be added in all league formats due to his upside.
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