LOS ANGELES – Reinforcements for the Dodgers’ depleted bullpen are getting closer.
Tanner Scott threw to hitters in a simulated-game setting on Friday and Kirby Yates did the same Saturday afternoon. The two veteran relievers will both head to Triple-A Oklahoma City and start rehab assignments with the Comets on Tuesday. Right-hander Michael Kopech (on the 60-day injured list and ineligible to return until Aug. 27) has already started a rehab assignment with OKC and pitched on Thursday.
“The health feels pretty good,” said Yates, who went on the IL almost three weeks ago with an unspecified lower body issue. “There’s a baseball aspect to this, too. I don’t think I was doing that great before I went on the IL. So there are some things I’ve got to get back to doing, feels, all of that stuff on the mound. I have a little bit of time to do that now, and I love where it’s going. I think overall we’re in a good spot.”
Yates threw a simulated inning to hitters Buddy Kennedy and Hyeseong Kim (who could start his own rehab assignment soon).
“I thought it was good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I thought the fastball was good. It’s been good. The split – that’s kind of been the thing that he’s been mindful of. I think he probably threw nine of them, something like that, and I thought five or six of them he caught really good. The other ones weren’t bad.”
Yates’ splitter is the pitch that elevated him to elite reliever status midway through his big-league career. But he has struggled with it this year, making it difficult to finish off hitters and making him particularly vulnerable to left-handed hitters (a .947 OPS against him this season). Yates spent time on the IL with a hamstring injury earlier this season and his lower-body issues might have affected his mechanics, leading to a lack of effectiveness with his splitter. The downtime has given him a chance to work on that, along with his health.
“I think for right now I like the way the lower half is firing,” the 38-year-old Yates said. “I think we’re back to being able to use the lower half and be explosive and not try to manipulate the baseball too much. I feel like I’m strong. I feel like I’m in a much better spot than I was three weeks ago.
“I don’t know if one thing led to another. I don’t know if the health led to mechanical stuff. I don’t know how that all kind of unfolded. But it’s in the past. There’s nothing you can do about it. You just kind of move forward. Get healthier. Get better. Standing here, I do like where I’m at. I feel we’re on to some good things, starting to repeat it, starting to get some results that I haven’t felt in a while. I’m encouraged by that.”
STEWART STATUS
Right-hander Brock Stewart has a long history of physical issues, including Tommy John surgery in 2021 and arthroscopic shoulder surgery last year. The fact that he spoke up about the “tendinitis-y” discomfort he was having after just four appearances with the Dodgers is a sign of maturity, he said.
“I think every athlete deals with that, especially being on a new team. These guys traded for me, so they expected me to help out. Yeah, it sucks,” Stewart said of being sidelined. “But the old Brock probably would have not said anything for however long, a couple weeks, and that would have made it worse, and I would have been worse off in the end –– even going into the offseason and potentially next season.
“So, I’ve grown up a lot in the past couple years, so I definitely wanted to get out ahead of this, and hopefully we’ve done that. … Old Brock would have been in denial still: ‘No, I’m good, I’m good. Let’s just see how it feels today.’ And that would be an everyday thing. But no, I’m definitely glad I said something. Hopefully get it taken care of now, and be able to help through September into the playoffs.”
Stewart said his MRI showed “a little fluid in the bursa in my shoulder, just a little inflammation in the (rotator) cuff” but no structural damage.
He received a cortisone injection on Tuesday and a platelet-rich plasma injection on Wednesday. He won’t start a throwing program for at least a week after that.
“Obviously, nothing I haven’t been through before, unfortunately,” Stewart said. “Timelines are great and everything, plans are great and everything, but I still like to take it one day at a time. … Just take everything one day at a time and try to put my best foot forward and attack the rehab. The only thing on my mind is getting back and helping the team, so I’m gonna do my best.”
ALSO
Roki Sasaki has rejoined the Dodgers in Los Angeles this weekend but Roberts said Sasaki will make another rehab start in the minors at some point next week. Sasaki threw 41 pitches in two-plus innings with OKC on Thursday.
UP NEXT
Padres (RHP Yu Darvish, 2-3, 5.61) at Dodgers (RHP Tyler Glasnow, 1-1, 3.08 ERA), Sunday, 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market only), 570 AM