Dodgers News: Walker Buehler Goes in Depth as To Why He Shut Down Potential 2023 Return
The 2023 Dodgers overcame a ton of obstacles this season, and while the season didn’t end the way anyone would have hoped, we can still appreciate that. Of course, winning a World Series is the ultimate goal, but the LA starting rotation was nowhere near where it needed to be to win.
They were missing quite a few players, with one of them being star Walker Buehler. Buehler missed the entire 2023 season after having Tommy John Surgery. There was hope for him to possibly return in the later parts of the year, but that was ultimately stopped after he made one rehab start.
Buehler joined The Just Baseball Show Podcast recently and provided an update on why he decided to shut down for the rest of the 2023 season.
“When you start a game or pitch in general, it’s a couple of days that you’re going to be a little bit sore or whatnot and that just kind of lingered in terms of where three or four days after and I didn’t want to throw a bullpen and then you just kind of snowball into it.”
Per Walker Buehler via Just Baseball Podcast
This is a very mature decision from Buehler, and it shows how much he has grown over the years. Many players would have tried to keep going to come back, but he sees the long-term picture in everything.
Buehler wants to get back to being a dominant pitcher in this league, and the best way to do that is to take things easy. He doesn’t want to rush the rehab to return, only to then reinjure himself. Plus, with the timing of everything, it didn’t give him much game action to get ready.
“You look at the timing of everything and I just end up being, if we were two days delayed then it didn’t really make sense to be honest to keep going, and I kind of — not the way I want to or obviously our team, our fans or whatever gotten to where I need to get to.”
Per Walker Buehler via Just Baseball Podcast
With Buehler back in the mix for next season, the Dodgers will at least have one of their more reliable pitchers in the rotation. The rest of the rotation remains a mystery.
“Yeah, kind of sucks but also you kind of pack it in and get ready to try and be who I think I can be next year.”
Per Walker Buehler via Just Baseball Podcast
With Buehler back in the mix for next season, the Dodgers will at least have one of their more reliable pitchers in the rotation. The rest of the rotation remains a mystery, but he gives them major confidence going forward.
Hopefully, Buehler can get back to being the pitcher that we all know and love. He was one of the best in the game and provided them with a certain level of comfort anytime he took the mound.
Photo Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
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Is Buehler ready to go for Spring Training? I hope so, but if when he last pitched it took too long to recover we have to see what happens the next time he pitches. Buehler, May and Ferguson have all had 2 major surgeries, Fergie is back but his control is still inconsistent, May was still trying to control his pitches.
Anything we get from Buehler will be good but he needs to only have an incentive contract and the team will need lots of pitching depth.
Next year looks like hopefully Buehler, Miller, Pepiot, Sheehan, maybr Kershaw and acquiring a good reliable top of the rotation pitcher and another starter.