Kenta Maeda will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation next season, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday.
Speaking at Major League Baseball's Winter Meetings, Roberts said the Japanese right-hander would be used as a starter after being moved into a bullpen role for the National League West club this past season.
Maeda began the year as a starter but was moved to the bullpen in August. He helped the Dodgers reach the World Series for the second straight year, with Los Angeles losing to the Boston Red Sox in five games.
A two-time winner of the Sawamura Award for the most outstanding pitcher in Japanese baseball, Maeda went 8-10 with a 3.81 ERA in 39 games, including 20 starts, for the Dodgers this year.
He has a 37-27 record with a 3.80 ERA in 100 major league games since joining the Dodgers from the Central League's Hiroshima Carp in 2016.