Although it remains to be seen how exactly the trades the Los Angeles Dodgers made at this summer’s deadline will affect the club in the coming months, it’s probably safe to say that none of those moves were overwhelmingly impactful. And, although the club, still has a ton of players on the 60-man injury list, most of those placements will carry into the winter.
However, one player who’s doing his best to come off the 60-day injured list much sooner than anticipated is pitcher Walker Buehler.
The 29-year-old righty is edging closer to a possible return and potentially helping his team during the stretch run of the season. Initially, Buehler had UCL surgery and flexor tendon repair last August, leading many pundits to think he’d be out for the entirety of the 2023 season. Nevertheless, Buehler has already begun throwing bullpen sessions and could face live hitters as early as the coming week.
“You never want to guarantee a date or anything like that,” Los Angeles pitching coach Conor McGuiness said to Bill Plunkett of the OC Register this week. “Anything could potentially happen as he goes through it. I think it’s one of those things where if he passes all the proper tests, and our group, with the resources we have, feel good about it, we’ll be ready to rock and roll.”
Obviously, the Dodgers aren’t banking on Buehler to return, but any high-quality innings they could get from the two-time All-Star would be a bonus, even if they’re out of the bullpen.
On an even more positive note, Clayton Kershaw could return to the rotation this week after a shoulder injury kept him out of the rotation longer than team officials originally anticipated. The veteran lefty threw a successful four-inning sim game Thursday and may join the team after a final bullpen session this week.
“I think we’re at the stage where we feel he can pitch in a major league game,” skipper Dave Roberts said to reporters before this weekend’s series against the Padres. “There has to be some build-up. He’s going to find a way. I understand he doesn’t have pain, which is important. He’s not perfect, but he’s still Clayton and he still wants to help his team win baseball games.”
Even without Buehler, Kershaw’s return could provide the rotation with a significant boost, joining Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn.
In other news, veteran reliever Daniel Hudson all but confirmed that he will miss the remainder of the season after sustaining a second severe knee injury in early July.
“That’s kind of the bitter irony in all of this,” Hudson said to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times this week. “I had all the arm troubles at the beginning of my career. If you told someone that I’d throw, like, 13,000 pitches in the big leagues, and my knees would be the thing that takes me out, it’s kind of a sick joke. But at this point, it is what it is.”