Steve Webb
ATLANTA — The Dodgers won the ballgame on Friday night, but what they lost will surely have a bigger impact than this one contest. In trying to field a grounder in the eighth inning, Daniel Hudson tore his ACL, meaning that he is likely done for the year.
First and foremost, we want to wish the best to Daniel Hudson. An ACL injury is the over-stretching or tearing of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in the knee. And the recovery time on this one, best case scenario, is six months, although many athletes have taken a year or more to return from the injury. I’m sure in the coming days, we’ll know more about the severity of the injury once the Dodgers’ medical staff has a chance to examine Hudson more thoroughly.
Hudson was in the midst of a great year
Regardless of how sever or minor the injury to the ACL is, one thing is certain. Hudson is done for the year. And with him gone, a key role in the bullpen is vacant. Ever since Kimbrel was obtained via the AJ Pollock trade with the White Sox, Hudson has pretty much assumed the role of set-up guy while Blake Treinen rehabs his injury. And he’s been great at it.
I was a little skeptical, given the poor numbers Hudson had in the last months of the 2021 season with San Diego, but I have to say, he proved me wrong. In 25 appearances, Hudson had a 2.22 ERA and 30 strikeouts in just 24.1 innings. He had a rough outing in May against the Phillies, and then another one in June against the White Sox, but that’s been about it. A lot of zeroes on his stat sheet otherwise. And given Craig Kimbrel‘s struggles this year, Hudson’s been a consistent late-inning performer, something that this staff has needed desperately. Which makes his injury an even bigger bummer for the team.
Internal options
Luckily, the Dodgers have a lot of pitching depth to pull from as they try to paper over the loss of Hudson. Of course, the first and best option is that Blake Treinen returns to the role that he thrived in the last couple of seasons. The last we heard he was playing catch at a distance of about 120 feet, working slowly toward throwing off the mound. He might be back after the All-Star break but I wouldn’t count on it.
Another option of a player not currently on the active roster is Dustin May, who seems to be a little closer to ready than Treinen. He’s got (or at least he had) the kind of electric stuff that would play in those key situations in the late innings. If he can get back, you might seem him work out of the pen for the rest of this year.
Of the guys that are on the roster, the most obvious choice to me to become the new Hudson is Yency Almonte. He has been nothing short of terrific in his new role as reliever, and his ERA is a sparkling 0.98 to prove it. However, for some reason, Doc seems reluctant to put Almonte into the game at times. He’s only made 14` appearances all year. Might be time to step up his workload a bit. I know the guy is aching to be a bigger contributor.
Trade Targets
Option Two is a more costly route: give up some prospect for a top-flight reliever through a trade. There are a few pitchers having great years for teams that aren’t going anywhere that might be open to a deal. The Orioles have a couple of great arms in their pen. Jorge Lopez (0.75 ERA, 13 Saves) and Keegan Akin (2.53 in 42 innings). The Pirates’ David Bednar (1.30, 11 Saves) shut down the Dodger lineup a couple of times this year. In addition, the Cubs are tanking this year; they might be open to parting with David Robertson, who’s got a 1.95 right now.
And finally our old pal Dennis Santana has seemed to have found his groove with the Rangers, posting an ERA of 1.59 in 30 appearances. Are these pieces available? Let’s just say that the Dodgers’ farm system is so stacked, when Andrew Friedman calls, you pick up the phone.
Conclusion…
The constant stream of injuries to the Dodgers’ hurlers has been a source of frustration in 2022. Pray to God that Hudson’s will be the last, but I get the feeling it won’t. This is why you stockpile arms. With an injury, your season can change in an instant. And, last night in Atlanta, the Dodgers’ season just did. How they react to it will go a long way in determining how deep their playoff run will be this year.
