The Los Angeles Dodgers have dealt with the injury bug early in the season, but multiple players are making progress in their recoveries.
Jason Heyward has been on the 10-day injured list since April 3 with lower back tightness, but he is closing in on a return after beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday. A rehab assignment was not originally thought to be necessary for Heyward’s recovery plan, but that all changed after his increasingly extended absence from the Major League roster.
Heyward dealt with lingering soreness in his back after initially ramping up baseball related activities, which ultimately led to his extended stay on the IL.
The veteran took three at-bats with Oklahoma City, and it’s expected he’ll be activated sometime soon.
Bobby Miller, who is working his way back from right shoulder inflammation, remains on schedule as he will check off another box with a live batting practice session on Wednesday, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
–– Bobby Miller will throw a live BP tomorrow in Arizona tomorrow. Two innings. Next step after that remains TBD
–– Jason Heyward got 3 ABs with OKC today. He's gonna be at the ballpark tonight (OKC is playing in Sacramento), so they'll touch base with him more then
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) May 15, 2024
Miller’s next step after Wednesday is unknown, but he has completed every step of his rehab on schedule thus far.
The Dodgers also received updates on a couple of their injured bullpen arms, with Evan Phillips close to return from his minor injury, and Ryan Brasier getting close to throwing off a mound:
Some Dodgers injury updates, per Dave Roberts
–– Evan Phillips will throw off a mound tomorrow. He might not be ready to return immediately when eligible next week, but shouldn't be too long after
–– Ryan Brasier is progressing, and will throw off a mound at "some point soon"
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) May 15, 2024
It seems as if Phillips is going to need slightly more time than initially thought, after the Dodgers projected that he was going to return immediately after he was eligible to do so.
Brasier has been dealing with a mildly strained calf but has made enough progress to be able to throw off the mound in the near future.
Dodgers facing roster crunch soon?
With a full group of position players, the Dodgers will have to make a tough decision when Heyward returns. Andy Pages has cemented himself into am everyday role, which makes Chris Taylor or James Outman the likely odd-man out.
Outman getting sent to Triple-A would not be surprising because he has options, and it makes sense to replace a left-handed outfielder with another left-handed outfielder.
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