BOSTON — The Dodgers will get help for their bullpen this week. That is for certain.
Right-hander Blake Treinen has completed his minor-league injury-rehabilitation assignment and will join the Dodgers to be activated from the injured list either Sunday in Boston or Monday in Cincinnati.
Treinen has been out with a strained forearm since mid-April.
Whether there is more help on the way before Thursday’s trade deadline remains to be seen. But Treinen won’t be plugged into the ninth inning to replace injured closer Tanner Scott. No one will, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. For now, the ninth-inning assignment will be determined by “strictly matchups,” Roberts said.
“I think given where we’re at, I don’t know that he’ll be dedicated to the closer role because there might be some time where I feel we need the highest-leverage guy for a particular spot and I’ll use him there,” Roberts said of Treinen.
The Dodgers currently have two former All-Star closers in their bullpen. Neither is up to filling that role now.
Alexis Diaz lost his closer’s job and was demoted to Triple-A by the Cincinnati Reds before he was traded to the Dodgers in May. After spending time at the Dodgers’ training complex in Arizona to work on his mechanics, he went to Triple-A Oklahoma City and put up some poor results before improving recently. He has made just one appearance with the Dodgers so far and pitched a scoreless inning.
“It was just kind of getting his delivery into a better place, his direction and how he’s getting into his back hip,” GM Brandon Gomes explained the work Diaz has done. “His arm slot crept up a little bit, and having a little better direction to the plate. He did some good work with our PD (player development), pitching group in Arizona before going out to OKC and we’ve seen flashes of really good stuff out there.”
If Diaz isn’t ready to be a ninth-inning answer, Kirby Yates doesn’t appear ready for that trust either. Yates walked all three batters he faced in his most recent outing, has given up two home runs in his past four innings and has a .906 OPS to left-handed batters this season.
“Well, I think that he’s certainly going through some things mentally right now, and scuffling,” Roberts said. “There’s a little bit of confidence kind of wavering, I’m sure. But I just feel that with the guys that we have out there, if the situation calls for it, I’ve got no problem having him finish a game.”
Scott went on the injured list with elbow inflammation earlier this week and has not started a throwing program yet. His return timeline is undetermined.
“Talking to the doctors, trainers – it’s going to be short-term. What that means, I don’t think anybody really knows,” Roberts said. “They say it’s going to be shorter than longer, but until he starts throwing, I don’t think anyone really knows.”
PRIZED POSSESSION
When right-hander Ben Casparius got his first major-league win last August, he got the lineup card from the game as a souvenir. But he was sent back to Triple-A the next day and didn’t get a chance to ask his teammates to sign it.
Casparius got his first career save Friday night. It was especially meaningful for the Connecticut native that it came at Fenway Park. He got the lineup card from this game as well. But this time, he was in the clubhouse Saturday, asking his teammates to sign next to their names on the card, finishing with Shohei Ohtani.
Casparius also got the game ball. Both the card and ball will go home with his parents for safekeeping. But the plan is to get the lineup card laminated and framed.
“That’ll go in my man cave someday when I have one,” he said.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Dustin May, 6-6, 4.73 ERA) at Red Sox (RHP Walker Buehler, 6-6, 5.72 ERA), Sunday, 10:35 a.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM