The Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation will get an important member back next week.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto will return from the injured list on Tuesday after missing nearly three months with a rotator cuff strain, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. He told reporters on WednesdayYamamoto will face the Chicago Cubs at home.
Yamamoto made two rehab starts before the announcement, pitching two innings each for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He allowed three earned runs, struck out five and walked two.
The return will be welcome news for a Dodgers rotation that has been plagued by injuries all year. Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow are still trying to get back into the fold, and Bobby Miller and Walker Buehler are struggling to regain form.
With less than a month until the start of the MLB postseason, the Dodgers will want to have as much clarity as possible on their starting pitching, given what happened last year, when the Arizona Diamondbacks feasted on a devastated rotation.
Yamamoto excelled in the early years of the Dodgers after joining the team on a record 12-year, $325 million contract for a pitcher last offseason. He had a 2.92 ERA with 84 strikeouts in 74 innings over 14 starts before being injured in his June 15 outing.
The biggest concern surrounding Yamamoto when he joined MLB was his durability. Injuries weren’t an issue during his career in Japan, but his smaller height (5-foot-10) and weight (176 pounds) and previous adherence to the Japanese weekly pitching schedule had some wondering if he could pitch every fifth day in the MLB. A single injury doesn’t justify those concerns, but it does make Yamamoto’s ability to finish the season important to his future.
