Cody Snavely
Entering the 2024 Major League Baseball regular season, the Los Angeles Dodgers were pegged with one of the better rotations in the league. The team was headlined by new toys Tyler Glasnow, whom the Dodgers acquired via trade, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was signed to a massive $325 million deal over the winter. However, the team was also expecting some reinforcements down the line.
One of those mid-season reinforcements was hard-throwing right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler, who has missed the better part of two seasons while recovering from his second career Tommy John surgery.
Buehler’s first stint in the rotation, which began in May and ended in June, produced mixed results, which ultimately led to Buehler’s placement on the 15-day injured list with right hip discomfort while he figured out the reasons for his struggles.
Through eight starts, the righty pitched to a 5.84 ERA, 1.514 WHIP, and thirty-one strikeouts in thirty-seven innings. His last start in Colorado was the worst, going only four innings and allowing seven runs on six hits while only getting two strikeouts on the day.
While there were some bright spots, the cracks in the foundation were shown during his first minor league rehab assignment at the beginning of the year. Before his activation, the righty pitched six games between Triple-A and Single-A. He went 0-2 with a 4.15 ERA, allowing twenty hits, ten earned runs, and twenty strikeouts in 21.2 innings. However, the biggest issue was the lack of command.
That lack of command has followed him all season, as shown by his WHIP being well over one. It is a massive reason Buehler has not gone deep into games or had many low-scoring outings.
After being placed on the injured list, Buehler returned home to work on his mechanics before visiting Cressey Sports Performance, a private pitching complex in Florida.
The hiatus was very unusual for a Major League Baseball player in the middle of the regular season, and even Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he has yet to see that done with any player in the organization in his tenure as manager, which dates back to 2016.
However, after a much-needed few weeks off, Walker Buehler is set to return. After pitching a few minor league rehab games, the last of which was his best as the righty pitched into the sixth inning, allowing only one run and reaching 96mph, he is ready for his second stint in the big league rotation.
While the Dodgers are not desperate for starting pitching thanks to the addition of Jack Flaherty, the return of Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw, along with the pending return of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, they can still benefit from having Buheler be a serviceable arm to count on down the stretch.
Buehler will slide right into the rotation, taking River Ryan‘s spot as the young righty was placed on the 15-day injured list with a UCL strain that will require Tommy John surgery.
Buehler will make his return tonight in Milwaukee as the Dodgers look to take their third game of this four-game series and continue to gain ground over the Philadelphia Phillies for the best record in the National League.
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