The Los Angeles Dodgers shocked the baseball world when they landed one of baseball’s best closers, Edwin Díaz, in free agency this offseason.
The New York Mets seemed liked the obvious landing spot for Díaz as he spent the last seven years in Queens and the National League powerhouse needed a closer with his departure. Nevertheless, the Dodgers poached the All-Star, signing him to a three-year, $69 million deal in free agency.
It was a reminder to never count out the Dodgers.
One thing that goes hand in hand with the back-to-back World Series champions, though, is injuries, especially with their pitching staff.
Díaz appears to be an early-season victim of the Dodgers’ injury bug after dealing with a drastic drop in his velocity. Manager Dave Roberts noted Díaz told the team he “didn’t feel right,” prompting them to run some manual tests after his four-seam fastball velocity dropped.
“Just kind of [him] saying he just didn’t feel right,” Roberts said. “And talking about some of the things before, the track record, the knee and all that stuff. So I’d like to think that’s behind us. But that was more the genesis behind [the concern].”
The Dodgers closer hasn’t pitched since Friday, when he gave up three earned runs against the Texas Rangers for his first blown save of the year.
Ahead of the Dodgers’ series opener against the New York Mets on Monday, Díaz told Roberts he was ready to pitch against his former team. However, Roberts appears to be taking more of a cautious approach with the $69 million closer.
“I talked to Edwin briefly, just a little bit ago, and he feels great, which is a good thing,” Roberts said before Monday’s game. “He’s wanting to pitch, says he’s available. I think now it’s just me kind of consulting with the training staff and figuring out what’s the best case. But just watching with my eyes and have him playing catch, talking to him, we feel very confident that he’s in a good spot.”
Dodgers Didn’t Need Edwin Díaz in Monday’s Series Opener
The Dodgers didn’t need Díaz in Monday’s 4-0 win over the Mets thanks to starting pitcher Justin Wrobleski’s dominant night.
Wrobleski pitched eight shutout innings on just 90 pitches in what was by far the best performance of his early MLB career. Despite only having two strikeouts and four whiffs, he hardly faced any stress in his outing. He is now 2-0 to open the season with a 2.12 ERA.
It remains to be seen if Díaz is available on Tuesday or Wednesday against his former team. That answer will come if a save situation presents itself.
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