Dodgers Pitcher JP Feyereisen Describes His Rehab Process After Missing 2023 Season

J.P. Feyereisen missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from shoulder labrum/rotator cuff surgery. The veteran relief pitcher, whom the Dodgers acquired in a Dec. 2022 trade from the Tampa Bay Rays, has four more seasons of team control. Although he was largely unseen and unheard from in his first year with the organization, Feyereisen could be an integral part of the Dodgers’ bullpen going forward.

The 30-year-old right-hander last pitched with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2022 and was quite productive. He didn’t allow an earned run over 24.1 innings pitched — second-most in baseball history, behind only Earl Moore of the 1908 Philadelphia Phillies.

During an interview with Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain, Feyereisen described the process of rehabbing the injury that cost him all of 2023.

“Last year I was hoping to try and possibly make it back by the end of the year. Had a little couple bumps in the road that didn’t allow us to get back. It just means a lot that the team and organization believed in me to come back after a full year of rehab, and hopefully help them on this run we’re hoping to get on, especially with the players we signed and traded for this offseason. It means a lot that they’ve kept me around and wanted me to be a part of this.”

– J.P. Feyereisen via The Dodgers Nation YouTube Channel

The Dodgers had one of the better bullpens at the end of the 2023 season, and adding Feyereisen to the mix will only help them improve. He brings new energy and a funky delivery, making him a player to watch in spring training.

Feyereisen has been with the organization for more than a year now, so he has seen how everything works. Soon he’ll get a chance to produce for the Dodgers, and he has been appreciative of the organization already.

“Top class. Top tier. Everybody from rehab, and also pitching coaches – just talking to (pitching coach Mark) Prior and Connor (McGuiness, the assistant pitching coach) and those guys, and working with our ATs and PTs down in Arizona, everyone’s awesome. Being with the guys in rehab, and having the year that we did this summer with Walker (Buehler) and Blake (Treinen) this summer, it was great to get to know a couple of those guys, especially because they’re hopefully going to help the team as much as I want to help the team this year. I’m excited for that. It’s going to be a good year.”

– J.P. Feyereisen via The Dodgers Nation YouTube Channel

While rehabbing, he worked with starting pitcher Walker Buehler. Buehler is also coming off a major injury (Tommy John surgery), so the two can lean on one another to get back to feeling like themselves.

Feyereisen was asked if he had learned anything from Buehler during their time together.

“Absolutely. Walker’s phenomenal. The way he goes about his business is the reason he’s the pitcher that he is. You just watch him, and all the knowledge that he has in pitching, picking his brain. Also when you have little adjustments and minor adjustments that you’re thinking, he’ll be the guy that will sit there and if you’re looking at your video, he’ll look at it with you and say what he sees, tell you stuff like that. As a teammate and as a person, he’s one of a kind.”

– J.P. Feyereisen via The Dodgers Nation YouTube Channel

The Dodgers’ bullpen should be a position of strength. The team hopes Feyereisen can pick up where he left off and possibly extend his scoreless streak even further.

Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

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