WASHINGTON _ A day after a blister burst on his left middle finger, Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Rich Hill was put on the 10-day disabled list for the second time this season.
Hill sat out three weeks this year when he cracked a nail and developed an infection. He will require more time away this time, manager Dave Roberts said.
"Four weeks is fair," Roberts said before the Dodgers' series finale Sunday against the Washington Nationals. "To get back on a major league mound, that's fair. ... It's going to be quite the process."
Hill put the Dodgers in a bind Saturday when he exited the second game of a doubleheader after only two pitches. The rupture was sizable, and Hill equated it to the blister that cost him a significant portion of the 2016 season.
With Hill sidelined, the Dodgers are scrambling to set up a starting rotation. Three of the five pitchers from the opening-day rotation are on the disabled list, as Hill joined Clayton Kershaw (biceps tendinitis) and Hyun-Jin Ryu (groin strain) on the shelf. Kershaw, at least, is expected to rejoin the Dodgers soon.
Kershaw completed a 30-pitch bullpen session Sunday. He was pitching off a mound for the first time since May 1, when the soreness in his arm first surfaced. He has been playing catch steadily since being put on the DL on May 6, but Sunday represented his most significant step forward.
Roberts described the session as "high intensity." The team plans for Kershaw to throw another bullpen session next week before setting up an appearance in a game. He could require a rehabilitation start, although the Dodgers may not want to waste five useful innings from Kershaw at a time when their rotation is spread so thin.
"We just want to leave it open for him, and for us," Roberts said. "Anything is possible."
Walker Buehler will start Monday against Colorado. The Dodgers will need a spot starter Tuesday or Wednesday. Kenta Maeda could receive an extra day of rest and pitch Wednesday. Brock Stewart, the most likely stopgap option, pitched Thursday for triple-A Oklahoma City and would be lined up for Tuesday.
"It'll be someone from triple A who will take the start," Roberts said.
