Dodgers’ Walker Buehler Dominates Over Two Perfect Innings in First Rehab Appearance
Walker Buehler is ascending toward a late-season return with the Los Angeles Dodgers just seven months after undergoing right UCL reconstruction surgery last February.
The 29-year-old, who hasn’t pitched since June 2022, was back on a mound for the first time in over a year on Sunday as he began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. And the two-time All-Star showed zero signs of rust in his highly-anticipated return to game action.
It was a dominating performance from start to finish, as Buehler delivered two perfect innings against the Round Rock Express – the Texas Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. He threw 15 of his 24 pitches for strikes and struck out two, with both caught looking at strike three.
Buehler showcased all six pitches but mostly leaned on his four-seamer, which averaged 94.6 mph – half a tick off his 2022 average (95.2) – and topped out at 96.1.
The 6-foot-2 righty carved through a talented lineup loaded with highly-touted Rangers prospects, including three of the top 10 from their farm system, per MLB Pipeline. While he only faced six batters, Round Rock’s offense was likely ecstatic when they watched him depart after the second inning.
Buehler needed just five pitches to record the first two outs of the contest, although he survived a seven-pitch at-bat for his first punch out of the afternoon to end the first. He also threw only 12 pitches in the second while retiring the side in order.
It was an impressive first step for the Dodgers hurler in his progression from a second Tommy John procedure. But he’ll need to make at least two more starts before potentially returning to the majors, according to manager Dave Roberts, who set a benchmark of three rehab outings.
That likely won’t leave Buehler enough runway to be fully stretched out before the regular season concludes, meaning his role may be limited to once or twice through an opponent’s lineup. But Roberts still intends to use him as a starter in the playoffs rather than a multi-inning reliever.
Los Angeles would greatly benefit from any contribution from Buehler, as the club’s starting rotation has been decimated by injuries all season, with Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin May (flexor tendon surgery) already lost for the season.
Even with those blows, the Dodgers haven’t lost any steam thanks to the emergence of youngsters Emmet Sheehan and Bobby Miller, who’ve stepped in admirably thus far. It’s also helped that their trio of Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías and Lance Lynn (acquired via trade from the Chicago White Sox) have excelled in the second half.
If Sunday was any indication, Buehler should be able to improve the pitching staff even further upon his eventual big-league return, which could come as early as September 18th if all goes well with his next two outings.
The Lexington, Kentucky, native posted a 4.02 ERA and 3.80 FIP in 12 starts last season while battling elbow discomfort prior to opting for season-ending surgery. That capped his sixth major-league campaign after just 65 innings.
In 2021, Buehler exploded for a career-best 2.47 ERA and 3.16 FIP with 212 strikeouts across 207.2 innings in 33 starts, worth 5.6 fWAR. He finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting behind the eventual winner, Corbin Burnes.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Jon Bleiweis. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.