Los Angeles Dodgers fans rejoice. The team is about to see Walker Buehler back on the mound after what seems like an eternity, with Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts delivering the good news late Wednesday, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
“Walker Buehler will make his MLB return from Tommy John surgery on Monday against the Marlins, Dave Roberts said.”
This is terrific news for the Dodgers and their supporters. It’s hard to tell exactly how well Buehler will pitch in his first game in the big leagues in nearly two years, but everyone must be excited for his return. Buehler will also be tested initially in the 2024 MLB season by one of the worst offensive teams thus far in this campaign. At the time of this writing, the Marlins are just 25th overall in the majors with just a .223 batting average and second-worst with only a .609 OPS.
In anticipation of Buehler’s comeback, the Dodgers decided to send Landon Knack back to the minors with the Oklahoma City Baseball Club on Tuesday, thus opening a spot on the team’s rotation.
Before kicking off the three-game series at home against the Marlins, the Dodgers will first deal with the Atlanta Braves in another three-leg set at Dodger Stadium that begins this Friday.
Walker Buehler’s return has Los Angeles fans hyped
Buehler last pitched in the big leagues in the 2022 season. During a June appearance against the San Francisco Giants that year, Buehler felt elbow discomfort and exited the contest. He would later go under the knife to repair the injury that ended his season. He also had his second Tommy John surgery around that time, which he worked so hard to recover from.
While there are doubts about whether he can be an effective weapon on the mound for Los Angeles right away, Dodgers fans are content — for now — with the news that the pitcher is finally back after such a long wait.
“Thank god i needed something good after watching the kings get caved in for 10 days,” said @sapphiregman.
“Not expecting elite performance, but can’t wait to see Buetane,” posted @b_kawucha.
“So excited for Walker. He has worked incredibly hard,” shared @DS11dodnine.
From @azzul0905: “Will be awesome to see him back💙⚾️💙”
Buehler got a chance to see action in the minors back in September but he had to wait until after the end of the 2024 Spring Training to pitch in a competitive game again. In six total appearances with Oklahoma City and the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, Buehler posted a 5.40 ERA and a 1.615 WHIP while allowing 10 earned runs on 13 hits (including three home runs) across 21.2 innings. He is likely going to need some time to get back (or closer to) his pre-injury form, but it’s still comforting to hear for LA that his body is ready again for the show.
Dodgers pitching in 2024
The two-time All-Star will add power to Los Angeles’ 2024 rotation that is being anchored by Tyler Glasnow and features rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who has been spectacular of late. Over his last three starts, Yamamoto has posted a 2-0 record and a 1.50 ERA along with a 1.11 WHIP through 18.0 innings. Glasnow, on the other hand, has a 5-1 record this season to go with a 2.72 ERA and 0.93 WHIP across seven total starts to date. As a group, Dodgers starters have a collective ERA of 3.62, good for eight in the majors.
