Injured Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto of Japan warms up prior to a baseball game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, Sunday, Sept. 1, 2024, in Phoenix.
11:21 JST, September 5, 2024
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation next week after missing nearly three months with a right arm injury.
Yamamoto will start Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium against the Chicago Cubs, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday.
The $325 million right-handed pitcher recently made two rehab starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City, and the barely pitching Dodgers are waiting no longer to see if Yamamoto can contribute to the World Series championship.
“I think the stuff will be there,” Roberts said. “I’m not sure what the assignment will be, so I think we’re looking at it like we get four starts out of him (before the playoffs), and if we can log four starts and build volume, we’ll be ready to move on.”
Yamamoto, 26, has been on the injured list since June 16 with what the Dodgers called a right triceps strain. Roberts previously said the injury was also a rotator cuff strain.
Yamamoto had a solid first season in the majors before his injury, going 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 14 starts. But he left an outing against Kansas City after just two innings, and he went on the injured list the next day.
Yamamoto hasn’t pitched for about a month and has been purposefully building his arm strength in the weeks since. He pitched two innings for Oklahoma City last Tuesday night, throwing 53 pitches.
The Dodgers have the best record in the Major League after beating the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night for their 12th win in 15 games. But their rotation is again facing major questions this year after pitching injuries derailed their 100-win season last fall.
Tyler Glasnow (elbow) and Clayton Kershaw (toe) are both on the injured list with Yamamoto, while Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller are still trying to get back to top form after struggling this summer. Glasnow, who hasn’t pitched since Aug. 11, has a chance to return to the Dodgers’ rotation this month, Roberts said recently.
Dodgers starting pitchers Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, River Ryan and Emmet Sheehan are also injured and out for long periods.
Despite the mountain of injuries, the Dodgers have powered into the playoffs on the back of strong starts from newcomers Jack Flaherty and rookie Gavin Stone, along with the usual productive output from their star-studded lineup led by Shohei Ohtani and Mookie Betts.
Flaherty is 4-1 with a 3.18 ERA in six starts for his hometown club since arriving in a trade with Detroit. The 25-year-old Stone is 11-5 with a 3.53 ERA in his first full season in the big leagues.
