DENVER, CO—While for most of the 2025 regular season, the issue for the Los Angeles Dodgers has been the health of the starting rotation, more recently, that has been flipped to the bullpen.
In recent weeks, while the team has activated lefty Blake Snell, right-hander Tyler Glasnow, and seen the return of veteran Clayton Kershaw and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, they’ve seen many arms in their bullpen hit the injured list.
Most notable of those players have been key impact free agent signings: lefty Tanner Scott and veteran righty Kirby Yates.
While it has been an up-and-down season for both arms, their availability to manager Dave Roberts during the Dog Days of Summer has been a major issue for the team.
In August, the Dodgers’ bullpen has been an issue, ranking 19th in the league in ERA (3.83), and has been a significant reason why their nine-game lead in the National League West has disappeared.
Well, that may soon change as reinforcements are expected to arrive soon, with both Scott and Yates set to begin a minor league rehab assignment with the Triple-A OKC Comets this week.
Yates, 38, threw to hitters this past Wednesday and completed his second session on Saturday. Those two sessions are to be followed by a short rehab stint, set to begin on Tuesday.
Following Kopech and Yates, Scott also pitched in a simulated game this week. He threw twenty-two pitches at Dodger Stadium on Friday, marking his first time facing batters since being placed on the injured list.
“Health feels pretty good, but there’s a baseball aspect to this, too. I don’t think I was that great before I went on the IL,” Yates said Saturday. “There are some things I have to get back to doing, the feels and all that stuff on the mound. I’ve had a little time to do that. I love kind of where it’s going right now.”
For both arms, it’ll be a massive boost to the Dodgers’ bullpen for the stretch run as the team not only looks to get back on track, but hopes to win enough games to win the NL West and secure a top seed in the National League.
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