Brandon McCarthy (elbow) has thrown off the mound 4-5 times, as of late January, and said he is targeting a late-June return for the Dodgers, the Orange County Register's Bill Plunkett reports.

McCarthy (elbow) has thrown off the mound 4-5 times, as of late January, and said he is targeting a June return for the Dodgers, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Analysis:

He specifically said he is targeting a return on the summer solstice (June 21), which would allow him to make two starts for the Dodgers before the All-Star break. Given the Dodgers' relatively unprecedented rotation depth, they could be clicking on all five rotation spots when McCarthy is ready to return. However, Kenta Maeda, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brett Anderson can safely be described as health risks, so a spot should open up for McCarthy, one way or another. He doesn't offer the upside to make him worth stashing in standard leagues, but he's definitely worth following once he starts going on rehab outings this spring.