Dodgers put Alex Wood on the disabled list because of a muscle issue

For four months, Alex Wood avoided the inevitable fate of any pitcher who performs as a starter for the Dodgers. Wood returned to the mound on schedule, week after week, as the team put Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Kenta Maeda, Walker Buehler and Ross Stripling on the disabled list because of injuries that ranged from serious to trivial.

After experiencing cramping in his left adductor muscles Friday, Wood succumbed to the same result. The Dodgers put him on the 10-day DL Saturday, skipping him in the rotation for a stretch, just in time for Stripling to return from a minor toe injury to pitch next week in Colorado.

The Dodgers have used the DL as a strategic force in recent years, especially when it changed from a 15-day stint to a 10-day stint last season. Manager Dave Roberts indicated Wood could benefited from the brief respite.

“I think that Alex is in a good space where this could benefit him, reset him a little bit,” Roberts said before Saturday’s game against Houston. “And allow him to finish strong the rest of the way.”

Wood had dealt with tendinitis in his adductors and his hamstring earlier in the season, Roberts said. He pitched through it and acted as a stabilizing force in the rotation, with a 3.58 earned-run average in 22 starts.

The team is hopeful Stripling can use his own break to recharge. He had a 4.73 ERA in July, with opposing hitters producing an .837 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

Stripling threw two innings in a simulated game Saturday. Roberts sounded pleased with the results.

“I just liked the way [his stuff] was coming out,” Roberts said. “I talked to him, he feels good about it.”

The Dodgers activated reliever Zac Rosscup from the DL to take Wood’s place on the roster. Rosscup, who was sidelined because of inflammation in his left middle finger, gave up two home runs in 1 2/3 innings Saturday.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes