Dodgers Get Promising Update as Rookie Pitcher Nears Return

Getty Yoshinobu Yamamoto

The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t going to rush Yoshinobu Yamamoto back to the Major Leagues, but with the regular season winding down, the right-handed pitcher is getting closer to a return.

Yamamoto began a minor league rehab stint on Wednesday, August 28, throwing 31 pitches for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

His final line: 2 innings, 1 hit, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts. He threw 74 percent of his pitches for strikes. Yamamoto’s velocity was on par with his regular season numbers with his four-seamer averaging 94.4 mph and reaching 95.7, per Dodgers reporter Eric Stephen. For context, Yamamoto’s fastball averaged 95.5 mph in his 14 Major League starts.

“Threw well, came out of it good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Wednesday, according to a report from the AP. “Hopefully, we can get him to three innings his next outing and then throw another one in the pen after that and then have a real conversation if it makes sense for him to join us.”

Yamamoto reported positive results as well.

“Overall, I felt good,” he said through an interpreter.

The would put him on track to return before the midway point of September. Yamamoto last pitched on June 15 before hitting the injured list with a right triceps injury.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto Was Finding His Groove Before His Injury

After a disastrous first start of the season in Seoul (1 IP, 5 ER), Yamamoto was becoming one of the most dependable starters for the Dodgers before his injury. He has a 2.92 ERA and 1.068 WHIP with 84 strikeouts in 74 innings pitched.

He was in a stretch of 15 innings and 1 run allowed before his last start against the Royals was cut short. Yamamoto’s last full start came against the Yankees and he fired 7 shutout innings, giving up 2 hits and striking out 7.

“I enjoyed the atmosphere. That was a great stadium,” Yamamoto told MLB.com after the game through his interpreter. “I did know this matchup was going to draw a lot of attention compared to the other series, but just like I’ve been saying, I was just trying to do what I’ve been doing in other games.”

What he’s doing had been working and the Dodgers are thankful for it. They signed the 26-year-old to a $325 million, 12-year deal in the offseason.

The State of the Dodgers Rotation

Assuming Yamamoto’s rehab continues apace, he will return to a Dodgers rotation that looks different from the one he left.

Gavin Stone is the constant. The rookie has been somewhat overshadowed by Paul Skenes among first-year starting pitcher phenoms, but he has been the anchor of the Dodgers’ rotation, starting 24 games and going 11-5 with a 3.33 ERA.

The changes begin with Jack Flaherty, who Los Angeles acquired at the trade deadline. In five starts since coming over from the Tigers, he is 3-1 with a 3.49 ERA.

Walker Buehler and Clayton Kershaw have both returned from injury as well. Buehler went on the IL around the same time as Yamamoto and is still trying to find his footing. After missing nearly two months, he has returned to throw 12 innings over three starts, giving up 8 runs along the way (6.00 ERA).

Kershaw has fared slightly better, despite a 5-inning, 5-run outing in his last start against the Rays. He’s still yet to reach 90 pitches in a start as he continues to stretch out, but it only took him 70 pitches to get through 6 innings against the St. Louis Cardinals on August 18.