Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Tommy Kahnle Could Return This Week

The Dodgers signed Tommy Kahnle to a two-year contract before the 2021 season, knowing he was coming off Tommy John surgery and unlikely to pitch until 2022.

What they didn’t anticipate was Kahnle also missing the majority of the 2022 season, too, but that’s where we stand. Kahnle has thrown just four innings this year, spending the last four months on the injured list with forearm inflammation.



Kahnle has been pitching on a rehab assignment in Triple-A Oklahoma City the past few weeks, and it appears he’s about ready to make his return to the big leagues, as manager Dave Roberts told the media before Monday’s series opener in Arizona.

“We’ve got Tommy Kahnle here on the taxi [squad], so to see him being activated something this series is very, very possible.”

Kahnle’s return could come at a good time, with Blake Treinen recently heading back to the injured list with shoulder soreness. The Dodgers have a long list of injured relievers, with the big names still hoping to return being Brusdar Graterol and Yency Almonte. Kahnle could complement those guys as righties out of the bullpen, especially if Treinen is unable to return.

In the short term, Kahnle would likely replace Heath Hembree on the active roster and on the 40-man roster; Hembree would likely be designated for assignment to make room on both rosters. If Kahnle is effective and healthy, it would make for some tough decisions regarding the postseason roster. But it would be the good kind of tough, the kind Roberts is hoping for.

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Jeff Snider

Jeff was born into a Dodgers family in Southern California and is now raising a Dodgers family of his own in Utah. During his previous career as an executive at a technology company, he began writing about baseball in his spare time. After leaving corporate America in 2014, he started doing it professionally. Jeff wrote and edited for Baseball Essential for years before joining Dodgers Nation. He's also the co-host of the Locked On Dodgers podcast, a daily podcast that brings the smart fan's perspective on our Boys in Blue. Jeff has a degree in English from Brigham Young University. Favorite Player: Clayton Kershaw Favorite Moment: Kirk Gibson's homer will always have a place, but Kershaw's homer on Opening Day 2013 might be the winner.

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