12 Months Removed From ACL Surgery, Dodgers’ Daniel Hudson to Miss Extended Time With MCL Sprain
Daniel Hudson’s inspiring comeback from season-ending ACL surgery hit a major snag on Thursday, as the Los Angeles Dodgers announced he’d miss significant time after spraining the MCL in his right knee.
The 36-year-old, who previously tore the ACL in his left knee in June 2022, opened the season on the injured list due to lingering pain in his left leg and tendinitis in his right ankle. But after receiving a cortisone injection, the right-hander started building up again and was sent on a rehab assignment last month.
Following six rehab outings, Hudson returned to the majors on June 30th, allowing one hit and striking out two over one inning against the Kansas City Royals. And, in his third relief appearance with the Dodgers, he converted his first save on Tuesday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It was his first save in almost 13 months, achieving a feat that left him emotional afterwards. What’s more impressive, though, is how he worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the ninth inning on just one healthy leg after spraining his MCL.
The downside, however, is Hudson was placed on the 15-day IL ahead of Thursday’s finale against Pittsburgh and is expected to miss at least a month, and could possibly sideline him for the remainder of the season.
Los Angeles also placed right-hander Yency Almonte on the paternity list before the game, recalling fellow righty Nick Robertson and left-hander Alex Vesia from triple-A Oklahoma City.
Hudson, a 2019 World Series champion with the Washington Nationals, made three appearances with the Dodgers following his first IL stint of 2023, holding his opposition to just two hits and three walks while inducing five punchouts across three scoreless innings.
“My heart breaks for him,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said to reporters prior to Thursday’s 5-2 victory over the Pirates. “He was committed to coming back this year. He could have walked away last year. So for it to [possibly] end right now the way it did, it hurts.”
The 6-foot-3 reliever, currently signed to a two-year deal worth $12.5 million that includes a 2024 club option, was supposed to provide much-needed stability to a bullpen that’s been inconsistent throughout the first half of the season.
Hudson was among the top relief arms in baseball last year, posting career-bests in ERA (2.22), xERA (2.74) and FIP (2.04). His elite whiff (33.8 percent) and strikeout rates (30.9 percent) ranked in the 93rd and 97th percentiles, respectively.
Los Angeles didn’t reveal the severity of Hudson’s MCL sprain, noting only that it exceeded a Grade 1 sprain and would likely cost him a month or two. Even still, the team remains hopeful he can return at some point later this season.
“I don’t know the grade of sprain, but it’s going to be a couple months,” Roberts said. “I don’t want to say it’s season-ending, because we’re still holding out hope, but it’s significant.”
The Dodgers were already planning to upgrade their bullpen leading up to the Aug. 1st trade deadline before Hudson’s latest injury setback. But now that he’s on the shelf again, the need to locate immediate support on the backend should only intensify.
Outside of closer Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol – who has been dealing with a sore shoulder this week – and Caleb Ferguson, Roberts is running thin on reliable high-leverage relief arms as the All-Star break approaches.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Ian D’Andrea. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.