Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz targets a July return from elbow surgery
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Dodgers closer Edwin Diaz said Monday he was feeling good, five days after undergoing elbow surgery to have five loose bodies removed from his pitching arm, and the right-hander is eager to return after the All-Star break in July. Diaz sported three small bandages on his right elbow. He had surgery last Wednesday in Los Angeles.
“Everything went well,” he said. “I feel really good. I can move my arm really good right now.
I’m really surprised because the surgery was on Wednesday. " The 32-year-old reliever said he's known about the loose bodies since 2012, when he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of Puerto Rico. Loose bodies are small fragments of bone or cartilage that have broken off and are floating freely in the joint space.
They act like debris in the hinge joint and can potentially restrict movement. “I knew I had it and never felt something weird with my arm,” he said. “It’s the first time in my career my arm is sore.
” Diaz didn't feel comfortable throwing on April 19 at Colorado. He failed to get an out in the eighth inning while allowing three runs and three hits to go with a walk in Los Angeles' 9-6 loss. “My arm was feeling tired and tight,” he said.