The Los Angeles Dodgers recalled 28-year-old right-hander Kyle Hurt from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, adding a proven swing-and-miss arm to the bullpen as they pursue a sweep of the San Francisco Giants, via the MLB transaction log.
The move came alongside the return of Emmet Sheehan, with Seth Halvorsen optioned and Tarik Skubal placed on the bereavement list.
Hurt, a Southern California native and former USC pitcher, is back for his fifth stint with the club this season.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound reliever has gone 4-1 with a 4.33 ERA in 43 appearances, striking out 56 batters in 43.2 innings.
That works out to 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings — the kind of rate that has defined him as a strikeout artist since he first reached the majors.
His career line with the Dodgers is similarly punchy: 4-2 with a 3.78 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 52.1 innings across three seasons.
Hurt relies heavily on a four-seam fastball that generates elite swing-and-miss, pairing it with a changeup that has produced plenty of empty swings since his September 2023 debut, when he struck out the side in his first major-league appearance.
Originally drafted by the Miami Marlins in the fifth round out of USC in 2020, Hurt was acquired by Los Angeles in 2021.
Tommy John surgery in 2024 cost him most of two championship seasons, but he returned in 2026 and has shuttled between Oklahoma City and the big-league roster as the Dodgers manage innings and injuries.
He was last optioned on September 5 to make room for Bobby Miller.
Sunday’s call-up is less about October roster plans than about fresh arms for a bullpen game. Jack Dreyer is slated to open against the Giants, with Sheehan expected to handle the bulk of the innings.
Hurt gives manager Dave Roberts another high-velocity option who can miss bats in short bursts down the stretch. The Dodgers have already clinched the NL West and are positioning themselves for a first-round bye.
For a pitcher whose calling card has always been missing bats, the timing is straightforward: Los Angeles needs strikeouts, and Hurt has shown he can deliver them.
Whether this latest promotion is brief or carries into the final week, the strikeout artist is back in Dodger blue.
