CINCINNATI –– The Dodgers were hoping Edwin Díaz would be back from the injured list by now.
Instead, continued poor performances have left his postseason roster chances in doubt.
A day after the team’s $69 million closer suffered his latest setback during a triple-A rehab assignment –– allowing five runs in ⅔ of an inning while giving up two hits, three walks and hitting one batter –– manager Dave Roberts made no guarantees about the three-time All-Star’s place on the club’s potential postseason roster, marking the latest disappointing twist in his disastrous debut season with the team.
“He needs to pitch better,” Roberts said, while announcing that Díaz will make at least one more minor-league appearance on Wednesday in his ongoing rehab stint. “It hasn’t been good.”
That became even more true a few hours later, when the Dodgers suffered their latest health-related surprise by putting hard-throwing reliever Edgardo Henriquez on the injured list with low back discomfort.
That move will rule Henriquez out for the rest of the regular season, since the minimum 15-day stint will extend past the team’s finale. And while the severity of his issue wasn’t immediately clear –– nor was his potential postseason availability –– it only adds to the headache the Dodgers are facing in the bullpen, where Henriquez had helped compensate for Díaz’s absence by posting a 2.85 ERA in 61 appearances.
For now, the Dodgers find themselves suddenly short on trustworthy right-handed relief depth. Blake Treinen, Evan Phillips and Brock Stewart represent their most experienced options, but each have battled injuries and inconsistency throughout the season.
Roki Sasaki could eventually provide another alternative. But the Dodgers are still hoping to use him as a starter, at least initially, when he returns from a blister that has forced him on the injured list.
In the meantime, getting something out of Díaz only figures to become more paramount.
“I think the world of him. And the [back of the] baseball card looks great,” Roberts said. “But it’s like, where we’re at, there’s got to be something for us to be able to hang our hat on. And he knows that.”
Díaz has made only 16 appearances with the Dodgers this year because of loose bodies in his elbow (which required a surgical procedure in April that sidelined him for three months) and a neck inflammation problem (which landed him back on the IL last month).
And even when he has pitched, his performances have been shockingly ineffective, with the 32-year-old suffering an 11.85 ERA and only seven successful saves in 11 attempts.
The Dodgers identified flaws in Díaz’s mechanics –– which likely arose as a result of his injuries –– that they hoped he’d be able to fix during his current rehab assignment.
Instead, he has battled more command problems, walking seven batters in his four appearances. He hasn’t limited damage, letting Sunday’s outing spiral out of control by plunking one batter with the bases loaded before walking another.
And on Monday, Roberts gave an ominous answer when asked about his chances of making the postseason roster, despite the mounting issues the team is facing elsewhere in the bullpen.
“Yeah,” he said when asked if the marquee offseason signing could be left off the team. “I mean, we have to go with our best pitchers, as far as performance, talent, all that stuff. So my bet is that he will be [on it]. But again, there’s got to be some kind of evidence or something for us, again, to sort of bet on.”
