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Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Chad Billingsley should be ready to rejoin the team's starting rotation sometime in April, according to Eric Stephen of SB Nation.
Billingsley has been hampered by a finger injury recently that he sustained while attempting to bunt during a minor league contest. The right-hander threw 96 pitches over six innings against the Milwaukee Brewers Triple-A affiliate Friday night, allowing four hits and one walk while tallying six strikeouts.
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Dodgers manager Don Mattingly told reporters that Billingsley remains in his starting rotation, but it's unclear when he'll make his regular season debut. Los Angeles doesn't need a fifth starter until Apr. 13, but Billingsley could be used as early as April 7. He's expected to be placed on the DL -- retroactive to Apr. 6.
Billingsley was limited to 25 starts last season due to a partial tear of his UCL ligament. The 28-year-old maintained an ERA of 3.55 over 149 2/3 innings with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 2.84.
