THE LOS ANGELES – This summer, Andrew Friedman disclosed something. The president of baseball operations for the Dodgers typically steers clear of lofty declarations or assessments, but this time he grinned: The pitching staff he had in Double-A Tulsa may be the best he’s seen at any minor-league level in his decades managing baseball operations in Tampa Bay and Los Angeles.

This summer, Emmet Sheehan, who was a member of the rotation, remarked that it was “crazy.” “I thought I was the only guy there who couldn’t go 100 (mph).” At 97 or 98 mph, you practically felt numb.

They would eventually matriculate to the majors; it was only a matter of time. Sheehan was the first, making his debut at Triple-A Oklahoma City without ever throwing a pitch. A promotion to Triple A has already been granted to Landon Knack, Frasso, River Ryan, and Nick Nastrini (who was later traded to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly).

The Dodgers will call up Hurt next on the list on Tuesday to help boost a pitching staff that has started to become a reason for concern, according to league sources, who were speaking to The Athletic. Hurt, whose promotion was initially announced by ESPN, is anticipated to support the team’s bullpen depth in the season’s closing stages.

The Rancho Santa Fe, California, native Hurt, 25, who excelled at nearby USC, has flourished since the team acquired him from the Miami Marlins for reliever Floro just before the 2021 spring training.

He has undoubtedly demonstrated at least one skill set that makes him a strong candidate to be one of the 13 pitchers the Dodgers use in October. He is missing bats. Hurt has 145 strikeouts in 88 1/3 innings this season between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. His fastball has reached 98 mph in the majority of his outings, but it has the potential to go even faster if used in shorter spurts. Since moving to Triple A in early August, he has been employed nearly entirely in bulk after an opener while still being developed as a starting.

As it stands, the Dodgers’ labels for pitching positions probably won’t matter much in October. Even from earlier this month, their starting pitching rotation is noticeably different.

After being detained last week on suspicion of inflicting felony corporal damage on a spouse, Julio Uras was placed on paid administrative leave; when the team arrived home from its six-game road trip on Monday, veteran infielder Kolten Wong had taken Uras’ locker.

Clayton Kershaw’s velocity and command are being affected by ongoing left shoulder pain. Although manager Dave Roberts said it had nothing to do with the future Hall of Famer’s health, the Dodgers shifted his start from Monday to Saturday in Seattle.

Theoretically slated to be a part of the team’s pitching plans, Lynn is currently having his worst season of his career and has given up an MLB-high 40 home runs.

Bobby Miller, who will play a big part in the team’s October preparations, is in front of them, but there are a number of rookies who might be among the 13 they select, including Ryan Pepiot, Sheehan, Gavin Stone, Michael Grove, and now Hurt.