Ahead of their series against the San Francisco Giants, the Los Angeles Dodgers made two notable roster moves.
The Los Angeles Dodgers X account wrote (on 9/18):
“The Dodgers have activated RHP Edwin Díaz from the injured list and optioned RHP Landon Knack.”
Landon Knack was just recalled by LA, but due to Edwin Diaz returning from the IL, Knack heads back down to the minors for now.
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Edwin Diaz Activated Off IL
The next week or so is a tryout period for Edwin Diaz.
He inked a very lucrative extension with the Dodgers this offseason, but he’s struggled mightily in his MLB opportunities and even in the minors.
Manager Dave Roberts has already noted that Diaz will not be the Dodgers’ closer upon return from the IL, and it’s also entirely plausible that Diaz could be left off the Dodgers’ playoff roster.
CBSSport.com’s RotoWire staff wrote:
“Diaz has been officially cleared to return from a nearly one month absence due to a neck injury. The veteran reliever will serve in low-leverage situations upon his return and is unlikely to see many save opportunities unless favored closer Tanner Scott is unavailable. Across five rehab outings, Diaz allowed six runs on four hits and seven walks while striking out four across 4.1 innings.”
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Looking at Edwin Diaz’s 2026 Season
Edwin Diaz signed a three-year, $69 million contract this past offseason to close games for the Dodgers.
That’s the largest contract handed out to a reliever in MLB history.
The 3X MLB All-Star has pitched just 13.2 innings for LA this season and has allowed 18 earned runs in that time span.
The strikeouts are still there for Diaz, as he’s logged 19 in the 13+ innings, but his 10 walks issued and three home runs allowed have been two big issues.
It will be very interesting to see how Diaz responds coming off the IL, and what role he has with the Dodgers going forward.
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