Daniel Hudson was one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ most effective relief pitchers in 2022, but the right-hander suffered a torn ACL in his left knee that caused him to miss much of the season.
He was slated to reach free agency at the end of 2023 but signed a one-year, $6.5 million contract extension that includes a team option for 2024. The extension expressed the Dodgers’ confidence that Hudson would fully recover and could get back to pitching at a high level, and it seemed to be going well overall.
However, Hudson started dealing with ankle tendinitis that slowed down his rehab and made him unlikely to be ready for Opening Day.
But the 36-year-old faced hitters for the first time as he continues making progress toward his return to live games, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
The good news for the Dodgers is, reliever Daniel Hudson finally faced batters for the first time this spring on Wednesday, a positive sign in his recovery from an ankle tendinitis injury that popped up during the right-hander’s rehab from a torn ACL. The bad news is, even though Hudson got through the Wednesday session OK, manager Dave Roberts said he is “still a ways away” from live game action.
Hudson still has a lot more work to do before he is able to fully return to the mound, but it is an encouraging step nevertheless. He went 2-3 with a 2.22 ERA, 2.05 FIP and 0.90 WHIP over 25 games prior to the knee injury last season.
Yency Almonte also played a significant role for the Dodgers in 2022, but he has yet to pitch in a Spring Training game this year as well. However, the right-hander also faced batters, which should mean he’ll see game action soon:
Yency Almonte came through a pair of live batting practice sessions this week feeling good after a slow ramp-up at the start of spring.
The 28-year-old stepped into a high-leverage role for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts during a breakout season, and he is once again expected to pitch in important spots in 2023.
Almonte appeared in 33 games, yielding an impressive 1.02 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 33 strikeouts and .150 batting average against over 35.1 innings.
Tony Gonsolin unlikely to be on Dodgers Opening Day roster
The Dodgers have been bit by the injury bug of late, with the likes of Gavin Lux, Tony Gonsolin and Justin Bruihl affected.
Lux is going to be out for the year while Bruihl’s injury was just some minor back tightness. As for Gonsolin, he is somewhat in between.
Manager Dave Roberts initially expressed optimism that Gonsolin suffered a minor injury, but now has acknowledged the right-hander may not recover in time to be included on the Dodgers Opening Day roster.
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