Prior to the Los Angeles Dodgers bolstering their starting rotation at the trade deadline this past season by acquiring Max Scherzer, the club added pitching depth in the form of Danny Duffy.
He was on the 10-day injured list at the time of the trade, recovering from a left flexor strain that had kept him out of action since the middle of July. The Dodgers and Duffy were optimistic he would make a full recovery in the weeks ahead, but that never came to be.
Duffy was making progress with his rehab but suffered a setback during a bullpen session in September and was ruled out for the remainder of the year.
The 32-year-old continued to deal with left elbow pain but rather than needing a second Tommy John surgery, only required an operation on his flexor tendon, according to Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times:
The doctor determined Duffy’s ulnar collateral ligament did not need repair. Duffy underwent surgery to fix his flexor tendon in late October.
Prior to his stint in July, Duffy previously spent time on the IL from May 12 through June 23 because of the initial left flexor tendon strain that was later re-aggravated.
The Dodgers initially planned to stretch out the southpaw as a starting pitcher but adjusted the outlook to a bullpen role because time began to run short.
Duffy ultimately never threw a pitch for the Dodgers, and finished the year 4-3 with a 2.51 ERA, 65 strikeouts and 22 walks in 61 innings over 13 games (12 starts) for the Kansas City Royals. He remains a free agent.
Dodgers completed Duffy trade with Royals
In October, the Dodgers sent Minor League pitcher Zach Willeman to the Royals as the player to be named later to complete their July 29 deal that netted Duffy.
Willeman went 3-2 with a 3.78 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 33 games for Double-A Tulsa this year before the trade. The right-hander was selected by the Dodgers out of Kent State University in the 19th round of the 2017 MLB Draft.
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