Report: Dodgers to call up Urias, will start Thursday vs. Giants

The highly anticipated season debut of left-hander Julio Urias appears to be on the horizon.

Although Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts wouldn't confirm the move, all signs are pointing to the club calling up Urias to make his season debut on Thursday against the San Francisco Giants, according to J.P. Hoornstra of MLB.com, who cites a source.

The immensely talented 20-year-old southpaw made his third and most recent start in Triple-A with the Oklahoma City Dodgers, throwing 5 2/3 scoreless innings with six strikeouts.

With both Rich Hill (blister) and Scott Kazmir (hip) on the 10-day disabled list without firm timetables, Urias' return to the majors seemed likely.

"He's getting close, getting real close," Roberts said on Saturday, according to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com. "We don't know yet. He's tracking. He's right where he needs to be."

Injuries aside, Urias' debut couldn't come sooner considering the performance of certain Dodgers starters. After an impressive rookie season, Kenta Maeda has been dreadful early on with an 8.14 ERA in four starts, while Hyun-Jin Ryu has allowed six home runs in his first three starts.

Last year in his first go with the Dodgers, Urias combined to an effective 3.39 ERA in 15 starts (18 games). His strikeout totals were impressive (9.8 per nine innings) and he maintained an equally promising 3.17 FIP.