The Dodgers bullpen contains pitchers who’ve bounced back after a rough first season in Los Angeles— i.e. Tanner Scott— and those who have struggled since first donning the Dodger blue— i.e. Edwin Díaz.
For a closer signed to a three-year, $69 million over the offseason, Díaz has come nowhere near close to meeting expectations, as the right-hander has an ERA at 11.85 over just 13 2/3 innings when he’s been healthy. The majority of his season was lost after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies
elbow in April that kept him out for three months and being placed on the injured list in August due to neck inflammation.
Jared Greenspan of MLB.com notes that Díaz is starting to reach the finish line for his rehab assignment, as he appeared in back-to-back games for the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets, but he will not return to the closer role once he rejoins the big league club.
When Díaz does eventually return to the big league club, he is not expected to slot right into the closer’s role. He will be eased back into lower leverage situations where he can continue to refine his mechanics, like raising his arm angle that has fallen significantly from last season.
Shohei Ohtani’s goal of being a two-way player for a full season came crashing down on Wednesday with the news of him landing on the 15-day IL, as he continues to nurse injuries to his left knee and right biceps.
Although Ohtani was in the lineup on Monday against the Cincinnati Reds, it was the only game he played in the three-game set, and an awkward swing was a key culprit for the Dodgers’ decision to place him on the IL, notes Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times.
“It was more just really huddling up and saying, ‘Hey, how are you going to feel on Friday? How are you going to feel on Saturday, talking to the doctors and training staff?’” Roberts said. “There was not much certainty that he’d be in a much better place. With that, just taking it off the table seemed like the best course of action.”
In place of Ohtani on the active roster is the Dodgers’ no. 1 prospect, 21-year-old outfielder Josue De Paula, who will make his big league debut on Friday against the Miami Marlins. Jack Harris of the California Post gives an insight to what fans can see out of De Paula, who has received high praise from the Dodgers brass after a star-studded season with the Double-A Tulsa Drillers.
“We’ve seen him in camp for two or three years. He doesn’t run from velocity. He controls the strike zone,” Roberts said. “I think this is just a good opportunity for him to kind of cut his teeth in the big leagues … We can get him some major league at-bats and see how that looks.”
