Walker Buehler Won’t Return to Dodgers Next Week After All
The Dodgers will wait before activating starting pitcher Walker Buehler to the major league roster. The silver lining here is that it does not seem to have anything to do with his health.
According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Buehler will have another rehab start after struggling in his fourth minor league start. The organization wants to see better command and execution from the former All-Star before he sees major-league hitting.
The past couple of starts has not gone Buehler’s way. In his third minor league start, he was taken out of the game early after taking a line drive off his hand. Thankfully, that did not result in anything serious. The Dodgers want him built up to between 85 and 90 pitches, and, in that outing, he only threw 27.
In the most recent start, he threw 68 pitches but failed to complete the third inning with the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate. He walked four batters in 2.2 innings and gave up two earned runs. Of his 68 pitches, only 34 of them resulted in a strike.
On the bright side, thus far in his rehab, this lack of control seems to be an aberration. Over the first three starts, he there 62% of his pitches for strikes – a much more normal outcome for him.
Buehler has made it known that he wants to come back in a position to contribute to this team. He does not want to be hampered by an innings limit, and he certainly does not want to hurt the team while he’s on the mound.
The Dodgers will re-evaluate Buehler’s status after his next start on Wednesday.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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