The Los Angeles Dodgers activated Edwin Diaz from the injured list on Tuesday and optioned reliever Landon Knack back to the minors, giving the veteran closer a final runway to pitch his way onto the postseason roster.
Diaz has been working his way back from neck inflammation, rehabbing with the Triple-A Oklahoma City Comets. The numbers from that assignment are not pretty. In 4.1 innings during his latest stint, he has a 12.46 ERA. The Comets' season is winding down, which means the Dodgers can no longer let him build up arm strength in the minors. If they are going to see whether Diaz can get big league outs, it has to happen now.
Manager Dave Roberts did not sugarcoat the situation when asked about Diaz's standing in the bullpen. The manager has made it clear that reputation and past performance will not be enough to earn a spot in October.
"We have to go with our best pitchers, as far as performance, talent, all that stuff," Roberts said.
"So my bet is that he will be (on the roster). But again, there's got to be some kind of evidence or something for us, again, to sort of bet on. And so my bet is yes, but we still got to see something."
That is about as direct as a manager gets this time of year. Roberts believes Diaz can help, but he wants proof. The 12.46 ERA in Oklahoma City is not proof of anything except rust, or perhaps something worse. The neck issue that landed Diaz on the injured list in the first place is the kind of injury that can linger and mess with a pitcher's mechanics without him even realizing it.
Diaz last pitched for the Dodgers on Aug. 8, when he threw the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. That was before the neck inflammation forced him to the shelf. The Dodgers have had to patch together the back end of their bullpen without him, and they have managed well enough to stay atop the National League West. But the postseason is a different animal, and a bullpen without a proven high-leverage arm can get exposed quickly.
The roster math is straightforward. The Dodgers have a limited number of spots for relievers once the playoffs begin. Knack going down to the minors opens a spot for Diaz now, but it does not guarantee he keeps it. Every outing between now and the end of the regular season is an audition, and Diaz knows the stakes. He is not being handed anything. He has to go out and earn it, one appearance at a time.
The injury itself is worth noting. Neck inflammation is not a typical baseball injury, and it can be tricky to manage. A pitcher's delivery relies on a connected chain from the legs through the core to the arm. If the neck is tight or painful, the mechanics can break down in ways that are hard to correct on the fly. Diaz's struggles in Triple-A could simply be a matter of timing and rhythm coming back after time off. Or it could be a sign that the neck is still bothering him more than anyone wants to admit.
The Dodgers have not said anything about Diaz's health beyond the activation. They have not offered a timeline for how they will evaluate him or how many appearances he might get before the regular season ends. What is clear is that this is the moment. The minor league season is over for him. Whatever he does now, he does in a Dodgers uniform.
Roberts has been around long enough to know that hope is not a strategy. He has won a World Series with this organization, and he has seen what happens when a team carries a pitcher who cannot perform. The trust tree in that bullpen is built on results, not names. Diaz has a track record of being one of the most dominant closers in baseball when he is right. The question is whether he can find that version of himself in the next few weeks.
For now, Diaz gets his chance. The Dodgers have put him on the active roster and given him the opportunity to prove he belongs. Whether he takes it depends on how he looks when the lights are on and the games count. This story will be updated.
According to Yahoo Sports.
