Dodgers are trying to sort out starting rotation

The Dodgers have yet to determine how or when to fill the vacancy in their starting rotation, as Manager Dave Roberts indicated the team is still deciding whether to use a spot starter for Friday’s game in Pittsburgh or keep the other four starting pitchers on regular rest.

But Roberts did reveal the organization will allow 19-year-old left-hander Julio Urias at least one more start after Wednesday’s game against Washington. The Dodgers may shut down Urias after that to save his innings for later in the summer, but after a disastrous stint from Mike Bolsinger, the team decided Urias merited another outing.

“He’s earned the right to keep going,” Roberts said before Tuesday’s game against the Nationals.

Urias (0-2, 4.50 earned-run average) has struck out 22 batters in his last three starts while holding opposing offenses to three total runs. But he has accumulated only 14 1/3 innings during that time period, as he still learns the importance of efficiency at the big league level.

Roberts kept mum about the plans for the weekend. After the Dodgers sent Bolsinger to the minors on Sunday, the team called up Carlos Frias. But Frias was optioned out on Tuesday to make room for Yasiel Puig. So the team still needs a fifth starter.

In theory, the Dodgers could use Thursday’s day off to skip the fifth spot. But the team likes giving pitchers like Kenta Maeda, who worked on a six-day schedule in Japan, extra days of rest.

“We’re going to get through this series,” Roberts said. “Then we’ll talk about what we’re going to do this weekend.”

VIN SCULLY SITS OUT BECAUSE OF SORE THROAT

Vin Scully, the Dodgers’ 88-year-old Hall of Fame broadcaster, did not announce Tuesday’s game due to a sore throat. Scully battled the ailment during Monday’s game, reporting to work so he could call Clayton Kershaw’s duel with Stephen Strasburg, only to see Strasburg scratched due to a back strain about an hour before the first pitch.

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes