Dodgers News: LA to be Cautious with Blake Treinen’s Usage Upon Return

After several rehab appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen is getting close to returning to the big-league club. Treinen has been out since April with a shoulder issue.

When he does return, Treinen will be inserted into the high-leverage role he’s used to with the Dodgers, although manager Dave Roberts will be a bit cautious with his usage, as Bill Plunkett reports in the Orange County Register.

“I don’t think there will be an up-down,” Roberts said, referring to closing out an inning and going back out to start the next inning. “I think we’ll be fine with the back-to-back but the up-down is what we’ll be very mindful of.”

Treinen pitched for OKC on Sunday for the second straight day, his first “back-to-back” of his rehab stint. With that box checked off, Treinen is essentially ready to return, which he will do on Friday when the Dodgers head home to face the Padres.

Avoiding the “up-down” will be a slight change from the usage Treinen is used to; 18 of his 72 appearances in 2021 spanned multiple innings. But Evan Phillips and Brusdar Graterol have both evolved into that fireman role of shutting down potential rallies by the opposing team, so Roberts will likely tend towards using Treinen to start a clean inning.

The Los Angeles bullpen has been outstanding this year, and the return of Treinen, their best reliever in 2021, will hopefully bolster that and clarify some roles going forward. If Treinen can be healthy and effective in October, it makes the Dodgers that much scarier to playoff opponents.

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