Late Friday morning the Dodgers posted this disappointing but not entirely unexpected news about 29-year-old Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler on social media:
As noted in the statement, the extremely popular Lexington, KY native and Dodgers first round draft pick in 2015 out of Vanderbilt University made the statement personally on Twitter, on which he posts frequently and usually with a humorous twist. This one most certainly was not humorous.
As Dodgers fans know all too well, the hard-throwing 6′-2″/185-pound right-hander underwent not one but two Tommy John surgeries, the second of which occurred on August 23, 2022 and after which he repeatedly tweeted that his goal was to return to the Dodgers starting rotation on or about September 1, 2023. Although that goal speaks (spoke) volumes about Buehler’s courage and tenacity, it is not to be.
As of this writing (and per @MLBPlayerAnalys) there have been 301 MLB pitchers who have undergone multiple Tommy John surgeries. And though a good many of them returned to action, a good many of them did not or have not yet returned to action.
Regardless, the entire staff at ThinkBlueLA.com wishes nothing but the very best for Walker, his family, and his friends as he tries to add to that ‘returned to action’ list.
Play Ball!
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