Dodgers Team News

Dodgers Injury News: JD Martinez, Ryan Pepiot, Buehler, Lux and More Updates

On top of a 13-4 victory over the Phillies on Monday, some news dropped on the injury front for the Dodgers. The boys in blue open the day in sole possession of first place in the National League West are looking more and more like a cohesive unit as the roster comes together following a few weeks of turmoil in the form of injuries and babies.

The 17-13 Dodgers only stand to get better and better as the season goes along thanks to more guys coming back from the injured list. On Monday, a few updates dropped involving some of the guys currently on the IL, so let’s dive into those.



J.D. Martinez

Martinez hit the IL last week after “playing hero” and staying in a game after feeling something in his back. It developed into a lower back strain and now, will keep him out for longer than originally hoped. When he hit the IL last Friday, the expectation was that would be able to be activated for the series opener in San Diego this coming Friday (the 10-day IL designation was retroactive to April 25th).

Now, according to Dave Roberts, JD may not be back until the following series starting on Monday in Milwaukee.

Ryan Pepiot

Remember him? Pepiot went from making the opening day roster to spending the first two months of the season on the injured list in the blink of an eye. The rookie right hander had an issue in his side pop up in his second to last spring training start and exacerbated it in his final spring start against the Angels. He was shut down just before opening day and has only recently started making some steps toward a return.

According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Pepiot started a throwing program and is stretched out to about 150 feet on his long toss.

Given where he’s at, Pepiot still has a long way to go before gets back to the mound for the Dodgers. He’ll need to throw two or three bullpen sessions before facing hitters in a live BP setting. From there, he’d need to head out on a rehab assignment which would likely be at least three or four starts before he’s fully built up for a big league ball game. Estimated return: mid-June.

Walker Buehler

Now, we just got a Buehler update last week when Dave Roberts said the pitcher, who is on the comeback trail following the second Tommy John surgery of his career, is stretched out to 150 feet and is already throwing about 88 miles per hour.

Walker added to the update during a recent podcast spot where he revealed that he’s “probably six weeks from the mound in some form or fashion.” He’s been on record multiple times over the last few months saying that he believes he can return to the Dodgers this season.

Final House Keeping

  • There’s no immediate update on starting pitcher Micheal Grove who hit the IL with a groin strain last week. Chances are reasonably high that when he’s ready to pitch, he’ll be optioned down to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Tony Gonsolin is back with the Dodgers and took Grove’s spot.
  • Daniel Hudson is still working his way back from reconstructive surgery on his right knee. He can pitch but the bounce back on the following day is what’s been affecting him for the last month-plus. The team hopes he can rejoin the roster some time in June
  • Gavin Lux is off crutches and can usually be spotted at Dodger Stadium during home stands. He was among those who greeted Trea Turner in his return to LA on Monday. All that said, Lux is nowhere near being ready to take the field. Within the next few weeks, he’s expected to move his rehabilitation to Camelback Ranch in Arizona where things will ramp up a few more notches.
  • Reliever Jimmy Nelson made his way out to Triple-A Oklahoma City last week to begin a rehab assignment but has only pitched in one game. And that was a week ago. He’s attempting to make his way back from 2021 Tommy John surgery and has struggled to regain velocity and command on his fastball. At this point it’s maybe 50/50 on whether he returns.

Clint Pasillas

Clint Pasillas has been writing, blogging, and podcasting about the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2008. Under Clint's leadership as the Lead Editor, Dodgers Nation has grown into one of the most read baseball sites in the world with millions of unique visitors per month. Find him online on Twitter/X or his YouTube channel!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button