Brock Stewart replaces Bud Norris as Dodgers reconfigure Saturday start

The Dodgers scratched Bud Norris from his start on Saturday against Arizona and inserted rookie Brock Stewart in his place.

The team had held Stewart as an insurance policy for starts the previous two days by Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill, which is why Manager Dave Roberts announced Norris as a starter earlier in the week.

Norris had not started a game for the Dodgers since Aug. 31, when he gave up six runs in three innings against Colorado at Coors Field. Roberts informed Norris of the decision on Friday afternoon. The switch did not please Norris, who has a 6.43 earned-run average in 12 appearances as a Dodger. Norris has a 13.03 ERA in six starts at Arizona’s Chase Field.

Stewart gave up one run in five innings against the Diamondbacks on Aug. 7. Roberts indicated Stewart’s stuff had “ticked up” in recent weeks.

“Brock’s earned the opportunity to have another start,” Roberts said before Friday’s game.

The Dodgers have found a stable trio to headline the rotation in Kershaw, Hill and Kenta Maeda. For the final two weeks of the season, multiple other pitchers may rotate through the other two spots. The team is currently auditioning Ross Stripling and Julio Urias in the bullpen. Norris has joined them, though he has pitched only once in September.

The team has yet to rule out a return from veteran starters Brett Anderson (blister), Scott Kazmir (thoracic spinal inflammation) and Brandon McCarthy (hip stiffness). Anderson threw five innings of one-run baseball in a victory for triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, extending a playoff series with El Paso.

The victory allows Kazmir to make a start for Oklahoma City later in the series. Kazmir has been playing catch, and was expected to travel to meet the triple-A club, Roberts said.

McCarthy will pitch in a simulated game next week, Roberts said. McCarthy recently completed a simulated outing that pushed his pitch count to 90. He was struggling to throw strikes before he went on the disabled list.

“From my understanding in talking to Brandon, a lot of it was physical,” Roberts said. “Obviously, when you have the misfires he had, you’re wondering ‘What the heck’s going on?’ But I think where he’s at now, after that last sim game, he feels really good. There really weren’t any bad misfires. So we’re really encouraged.”

andy.mccullough@latimes.com

Twitter: @McCulloughTimes