With Edwin Díaz injured, what's next for the Dodgers?
For the second season in a row, an expensive bullpen solution has gone off the rails for Los Angeles.
Edwin Díaz never seemed quite right. In the weeks leading up the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason bullpen addition landing on the injured list on Monday , only on occasion had Díaz looked like his shutdown closer self. He secured two saves in the Dodgers’ opening series sweep of the D-backs, but since then, Díaz’s outings increasingly inspired more concern than confidence.
Most glaringly, his velocity was below what we’re accustomed to seeing. Before his knee injury in the World Baseball Classic that cost him all of the 2023 season, Díaz’s four-seam fastball sat comfortably in the 98-99-mph range, climbing as high as 102. 8.
Even after returning from his torn patellar tendon, Díaz’s heater still hummed at around 97 mph, and he could touch triple digits when needed. This year, however, Díaz’s heater is averaging 95. 7 mph.
He hit 98. 6 in the World Baseball Classic quarterfinals against Italy on March 14, 98. 0 in his final spring training outing on March 23 and 97.
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