The Los Angeles Dodgers will move forward without a closer for the foreseeable future. Pitcher Edwin Diaz has landed on the injured list as he prepares for surgery.
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According to the team website, Diaz has loose bodies in his elbow. He will undergo surgery at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopedic Clinic on Wednesday to address the issue, and the team hopes that he will be able to return for the second half of the season.
"We all saw the stuff (Sunday night), and it sent up red flags," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Monday. "After the game, he had a conversation with our training staff and felt that he had some elbow discomfort.
"Looking at what was going on last night, we just wanted to be proactive and felt that it was smart to get an MRI, get imaging, which we did do. It showed loose bodies. It happens with players, and it just kind of came to a head last night. We felt, get the surgery scheduled and expect a second-half return."
The "red flags" featured the velocity on Diaz's pitches against the Colorado Rockies. He hit 97 mph with a couple of his fastballs, but his overall velocity did not reach the expected levels. He also failed to record an out during the eighth inning of the 9-6 loss.
Roberts initially thought that Diaz had some rust to knock off, considering that the pitcher had not taken the mound in nine days. However, the overall performance created concerns for the manager.
The team made the decision to have the pitcher undergo an MRI. This ultimately provided an important answer. Now, Diaz will go on the shelf for some time while recovering from an issue that Roberts experienced at the end of his own career.
"I had that same surgery at the end of my career," Roberts said. "Loose bodies are asymptomatic until they're not, so I can relate to what he was going through. It just happened last night, and it's unfortunate."
