Edwin Díaz makes Dodgers spring debut, looks forward to WBC

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. –– There were no trumpets. It was not the ninth inning. 

But a year removed from the Dodgers’ maddening search for a trustworthy closer, the appearance of Edwin Díaz still came as a welcome sight.

For the first time since signing a three-year, $69 million deal to become the Dodgers’ new closer over the offseason, Díaz made his spring debut in the team’s Cactus League contest against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields on Wednesday afternoon.

Even in his first spring outing, the right-hander was touching nearly 97 mph with his fastball and collecting a strikeout with a swing-and-miss slider. And though he allowed a one-out single and another deep fly ball that Hyeseong Kim had to track down on the run in center, he pitched a scoreless fourth inning in the 10-7 victory.

“Felt really good,” Díaz said afterward. “I was trying to throw strikes … and I think I did a pretty good job.”

Last year, the ninth inning was a nonstop headache for the Dodgers. Tanner Scott flopped as the team’s primary closing option, blowing an MLB-most 10 saves after arriving on his own lucrative free-agent deal. Most of the alternative options fared no better, especially after Evan Phillips went down with Tommy John surgery and Blake Treinen began battling elbow problems.

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Only at the end of the regular season did the Dodgers find some stability, when Roki Sasaki returned from a shoulder injury to anchor the bullpen through much of the playoffs.

On Wednesday, however, Sasaki was the Dodgers’ starting pitcher, beginning his long-planned return to the team’s rotation. Scott, meanwhile, was back at Camelback Ranch, continuing to rectify last year’s struggles in a live batting practice session.

Now, it is Díaz who has been fully entrusted with ninth-inning duties –– representing the Dodgers’ most established closing option since Kenley Jansen departed five years ago. 

In some ways, that role makes Díaz an even more critical addition than $240 million outfielder Kyle Tucker was this winter. The Dodgers are banking on the 31-year-old, three-time All-Star to remain arguably the best closer in the league.

Not that the pressure is getting to the nine-year big-league veteran.

Instead, Díaz’s primary focus is on preparing to pitch in next month’s World Baseball Classic with Team Puerto Rico.

After Wednesday’s outing, he talked at length about his excitement for the tournament, which will allow him to play on Puerto Rican soil (where group stage games will be held) for his first time as a professional. 

“I think that’s the most important thing for me, pitching in front of my family and friends,” he said. “People from Puerto Rico, they don’t have the chance to travel and see us play in the big leagues. So the chance to play in front of my family and friends will be something I’m looking forward to.”

He also joked that, in order to dye his hair white to match his Puerto Rican teammates, he had to seek out some hairstyling help.

“If I did it myself,” he laughed, “I’d maybe go bald.”

Díaz said he will make one more Cactus League appearance with the Dodgers before departing for the WBC. He will then try to get through the tournament healthy, after blowing out his knee while celebrating a win in the 2023 edition.

Once he returns to the Dodgers, the next challenge will begin: trying to shore up the biggest weakness from last year’s team and deliver on the reliever-record $23 million his new contract will pay per season.

But for now, Díaz was simply happy to be back in game action, and making his unofficial debut with a club desperate to see him succeed.

“I think I threw the ball really good,” he said. “(I’m feeling) ready to go.”

Ryan returns: Beyond Díaz and Sasaki, there was another notable pitching outing in Wednesday’s game. For the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery as a rookie in 2024, right-hander River Ryan returned to the mound, tossing a scoreless inning in his continued pursuit of an Opening Day rotation spot.

“It was definitely nerve-racking,” Ryan said. Yet, he flashed his potential by hitting 98 mph with his fastball, and showing off what he feels is an improved six-pitch mix, describing his stuff as “just as good, if not better, than before I got hurt.” 

“Just got to get feel back with them all,” Ryan added, after retiring two of his three batters and having a walk negated when the baserunner was caught stealing. “But I’m really happy with how the day went.”

Klein gets dinged: Right-handed reliever and World Series hero Will Klein had a less successful day on the mound, giving up a home run to Pavin Smith on a first-pitch fastball he left up in the zone.

Kim patrols center: Wednesday was Hyeseong Kim’s first time playing center field this spring, and he impressed with not only his running catch in the fourth inning to bail out Diaz, but also a sliding grab coming in on a ball during the first inning to help limit the damage for Sasaki. While Kim will primarily play the infield this year, his outfield versatility could help him earn more at-bats.

Up next: Tyler Glasnow will make his first start of the spring on Thursday, when the Dodgers return to Camelback Ranch to face the Chicago White Sox. At 5-0, they will try to remain the last unbeaten team in Cactus League play.