DODGERS ARM BUEHLER SEEKS TO RETURN BY SEPTEMBER
Walker Buehler is hoping to return in time for the final month of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ regular season.
His manager is taking a wait-and-see approach.
The right-hander threw a modified bullpen session at Dodger Stadium before Tuesday night’s game against the Minnesota Twins. Buehler threw from the mound to a catcher in a standing position.
Buehler had his second Tommy John surgery on Aug. 23. His first was in 2015 shortly after being drafted in the first round by the Dodgers.
“The 8½, 9 months has gone pretty quick. I feel like I’m over two-thirds of the way,” Buehler said. “Sept. 1 is still the goal. I want to get up to a certain pitch count where me being here is not a hindrance.”
Buehler’s next step in ramping up includes throwing to a crouching catcher in a couple weeks.
With Tommy John surgery recovery time usually 12-18 months, manager Dave Roberts admitted Buehler’s timeline is aggressive.
“That’s embedded in Walker, the confidence. That’s not surprising,” Roberts said. “Today was a good day and we’ll see how he progresses.”
While Buehler would like to be back this season, he said he will not try to rush back. Being healthy for 2024 remains the foremost goal.
“I have to try and look out for myself and the team here. The biggest thing is I want to come back healthy for all of next year,” he said. “There are some exciting parts of playing at the end of this year and that’s something I want to do. But if I’m not healthy enough, I’m not going to try and put a square peg in a round hole.”
Buehler went 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA in 2021 while making his second All-Star team and finishing fourth in the NL
Cy Young Award voting. Last season, Buehler was 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 starts.
Notable
Marlins center fielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. was put on the 10-day injured list Tuesday because of a right toe turf injury. He will miss 4-6 weeks.
A first-year outfielder, Chisholm collided with the center-field wall while attempting to catch a drive hit by Henry Ramos in Miami’s 6-5 loss against Cincinnati on Saturday. Chisholm remained down on the warning track for a couple of minutes before he reached his feet and limped off the field.
• Rangers pitching prospect Kumar Rocker, a top-10 pick in each of the past two MLB drafts, has a torn ligament in his right elbow and will need Tommy John surgery.
• The Guardians placed All-Star 3B José Ramírez on the bereavement list and recalled hot-hitting infielder Brayan Rocchio from Triple-A Columbus.
Manager Terry Francona
said Ramírez isn’t expected to rejoin the Guardians until they play the Mets in New York for a three-game set starting Friday.
• RHP Aníbal Sánchez,
an 11-game winner for the Nationals when they won the 2019 World Series, is retiring after 16 years in the majors. Sánchez went 116-119 with a 4.06 ERA in 364 appearances, 341 as a starter.
• Brewers LHP Wade Miley came out of Tuesday night’s game against the Cardinals in the second inning because of a strained left lat muscle.
• Mets RHP Carlos Carrasco is expected to come off the injured list and start Friday night against Cleveland, his former team.
• Astros 2B Jose Altuve, who has been out all season after fracturing his thumb in the World Baseball Classic, went 0-for-5 as he continued his rehabilitation with Double-A Corpus Christi.