One week after the Los Angeles Dodgers announced an operation would be required, Edwin Rios underwent season-ending surgery to repair a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder. He joined Dustin May in being lost for the remainder of the year due to injury.
“It’s something Eddie was dealing with for quite some time,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said last week. “Knowing Eddie, he wanted to kind of play through it and keep going. But it was affecting him and ultimately we got it looked at.”
While Rios did not use the shoulder trouble as an excuse, it certainly explained the poor start he got off to this season. Rios was mired in an 0-for-32 skid with four walks, 12 strikeouts and one hit by pitch at the time of being put on the 10-day injured list.
His final hit of the season was a one-out single in the fifth inning on April 13. Rios flied out two innings later to begin the offensive drought.
Road to Recovery!! pic.twitter.com/7sfEONC0eM
— Edwin Rios (@Edwin_Rios30) May 20, 2021
“With baseball, I feel like you’re always grinding and feeling something. It’s one of those things where you’re in there getting treatment, it just wasn’t getting better,” Rios explained.
“I worked with the strength coaches and we tried to do certain things to correct things. It just wasn’t getting better. That’s when we took a look at it and we saw what we saw, unfortunately.”
Rios understandably was frustrated with learning he would be out for the remainder of the season, but there also is a sense of relief with getting an answer behind his struggles and being able to move on.
“I’ll be back,” he said. “We’re going to rehab this thing and I’m going to be back stronger. … The plan is to go to AZ, rehab this thing, get back to 100% and get back to doing what I do.”
Roberts attributes Rios’ struggles to injury
After productive showings during parts of the 2019 and 2020 seasons, including in the postseason last year, Rios was expected to take a step forward as the backup to Justin Turner and primary left-handed bat off the bench.
That he never got going was due in large part to injury, in Roberts’ eyes. “I would say a large majority of his struggles were related to the injury,” he said.
“As I look back and see certain things, the swing just didn’t look right, and now it all makes sense. I wish he would’ve come forward a little earlier. But as a player, you just don’t know at what point you can play through it, and being hurt versus being injured.
“Eddie is a great teammate. I’m just happy he made a decision he felt is best for him personally. Now we can go ahead with the surgery, do the rehab process and get him back to 100%.”
Rios is expected to make a full recovery in time for 2022 Spring Training.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, participate in our shows and giveaways, and more!
