Jack Flaherty joins his childhood team, will make Dodgers debut Saturday

SAN DIEGO — Jack Flaherty will make his first start for the Dodgers on Saturday. It’s been a long time coming.

When Flaherty’s trade from the Detroit Tigers to the Dodgers became official on Tuesday, his mother, Eileen, posted a photo on social media of Jack Flaherty as a toddler, smiling broadly while wearing Dodgers gear.

“It didn’t really sink in until I got on the phone with my mom yesterday and she brought up some things. Just how cool it is, how special it is,” said Flaherty, who grew up in Burbank and starred at Harvard-Westlake. “I think everyone deep down wants to play for their hometown team, then getting the opportunity to is just special. And just being a part of this organization, how good this team is and how good they’ve been for years, is just special.”

The Dodgers made acquiring a top starting pitcher their priority before Tuesday’s trade deadline. They made overtures to the Chicago White Sox about left-hander Garrett Crochet and the Tigers about Tarik Skubal but neither of those young pitchers changed teams at the deadline.

With a 7-5 record and 2.95 ERA in 18 starts this season, Flaherty was the best starting pitcher to change teams at the deadline and the Dodgers now expect him to join Tyler Glasnow to front a rotation capable of taking them deep into October.

“It’s fun. You want those expectations. You want to be a part of that,” Flaherty said. “You want to be part of a team with those expectations. That’s what I came up with in St. Louis, expecting to win, wanting to win, being a part of that. If they bring me in for that, then hopefully I can contribute in as many ways as possible.”

According to a report by Ken Rosenthal in The Athletic, it almost didn’t happen. Rosenthal reported that the New York Yankees had a preliminary agreement to acquire Flaherty but backed out of the deal based on the right-hander’s medical records.

Tigers general manager Scott Harris declined to comment when asked about the report on Wednesday. Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he would have traded for Flaherty but “I had difficulty matching up” on the return.

Flaherty missed single starts in June and early July based on lower back pain. He didn’t comment Wednesday on the reports about a trade to the Yankees and said he is healthy now. The Tigers scratched him from his scheduled start this week due to the trade deadline so Flaherty has not pitched since July 24.

“All I know is I feel great. I’ve felt great since we got back from the (All-Star) break or even right before that. I’ve felt great and been ready to pitch,” Flaherty said.. “I’ve been pretty anxious about just wanting to get out there again. I pitched a week ago. Getting scratched, I understand it. It’s part of it. I’m just looking forward to taking the mound again.

“I just know that I feel good. I’m ready to go.”

PROGRESS REPORT

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Mookie Betts has progressed to taking batting practice versus a pitcher and it’s “very realistic” to think Betts could be back in the Dodgers’ lineup in “the next couple weeks.”

Betts will not necessarily go on a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment before rejoining the Dodgers, Roberts said.

“I think Mookie’s going to be more of a sim-game guy,” Roberts said. “If he decides to go out on rehab, it would be short.”

Third baseman Max Muncy, meanwhile, “had a real good breakthrough with how he felt,” according to Roberts, who said he texted with Muncy earlier Wednesday.

“I’m really encouraged,” Roberts said.

“There was a chiropractic adjustment to kind of align things in there, in the ribs, which is great. When everything’s telling you that you’re healthy and you’re fine, sometimes it’s kind of a body alignment thing that gets things back in line.”

Of the three relievers currently on rehab assignments with Triple-A Oklahoma City – Brusdar Graterol, Ryan Brasier and Michael Grove – Roberts said Grove is closest to returning.

ALSO

In order to add Flaherty to the roster, the Dodgers sent left-hander Justin Wrobleski back to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

UP NEXT

The Dodgers are off Thursday.

Dodgers (RHP Gavin Stone, 9-4, 3.34 ERA) at A’s (RHP Joey Estes, 4-4, 4.92 ERA), Friday, 6:40 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM