Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Edwin Diaz could end up returning by the end of the week, according to manager Dave Roberts.
Diaz has been down with neck inflammation, which appeared in the middle of August, leading to an IL placement.
When will Edwin Diaz return?
After a run of live batting practice outings, Diaz went out on assignment with Triple-A OKC, where he is going to make a handful of appearances.
According to manager Dave Roberts, who spoke with the media, including Dodgers Nation, Diaz will make back-to-back appearances on Wednesday and Thursday with the minor league team and could be called back up on Sunday.
The Dodgers will see how he responds after two consecutive days of pitching, per Roberts, and if he responds well, “we’ll see about Sunday.”
Sunday would be the first opportunity that the Dodgers can bring him into the fold, when LA is in Miami for a road series.
Why has Edwin Diaz struggled?
Diaz, who was brought in to be the closer, has spent most of the season on the injured list rather than pitching in high-leverage spots.
And when he has stepped on the mound, things have not looked good for Diaz. He has a 11.85 ERA with seven saves, but four blown saves and an eye-watering 2.56 WHIP.
Most recently, after returning from three months on the injured list due to elbow surgery, Diaz saw three weeks of action before returning to the IL, this time with neck stiffness.
Diaz reported the neck issue after a series of rough outings, including his last, in which he allowed four hits and three runs.
Now that the team has been able to step aside and process everything, Diaz will not return as the closer, leaving that role for Tanner Scott, according to Dave Roberts.
With the emergence of Edgardo Henriquez, Diaz may not even be the setup man and may need to fight for trust.
“I think it’s more about getting him back healthy and then putting him in some softer landing situations to get the confidence, to get the feel and the trust of executing pitches, getting Major League hitters out,” Roberts said to the media, including Dodgers Nation. “And then at that point in time, we’ll go from there.”
What can Edwin Diaz change?
The biggest thing Diaz needs to improve is his command. He was either hitting his spot on the margins or missing badly, which led to many missed spots and uncompetitive pitches, forcing him to throw strikes when he didn’t want to.
Additionally, his slider’s movement could use improvement, since it often hung and created opportunities for aggressive hitters.
Diaz ended up not being able to really pull the string on the off-speed pitch and generate some chases or whiffs all too often.
His fastball showed some good life during his return from the IL, moving well and biting at certain moments.
If he can make his fastball move more consistently, locate it better, and get the slider moving horizontally well, Diaz can wrestle back the closer spot.
In terms of approach, Diaz is not struggling with confidence. He said his struggles are mechanical, with a slightly lower arm angle and a posture issue that leads to an inconsistent delivery.
“I think with a good arm angle, my fastball runs way better than [it is] now,” Diaz said.
“I’m throwing, right now, side to side, so my slider is getting flat in the middle. My fastball’s running through the bat, so that’s why we are working now to get the angle back.”
Diaz has a clear idea of what needs to get better, and the pitching coaching staff needs to make the needed adjustment; it will just come down to whether he can get it together in a few weeks or if it will be a situation similar to Tanner Scott last year, who came back in his second year to put everything together.
