The Los Angeles Dodgers filled their bullpen with several options prior to the 2024 season, supplementing a group that includes multiple veteran arms, including Blake Treinen, who had his club option accepted.
Treinen has unfortunately been out of game action since March 9 after being hit in the rib cage by a comebacker. The 35-year-old was left off the Dodgers roster for the Seoul Series after early optimism had him on track to be ready for Opening Day.
With the Dodgers a few games into the regular season, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that Treinen’s slow progress is related to his bruised lung, but would not call it a setback.
“No, no. I think it was more residual,” Roberts said. “Because if we would’ve known this, he wouldn’t have made the trip to Korea. So once we got there, in catch play, it just never felt better.
“So I think at that point in time, the medical staff decided to slow play it and essentially start up again. The catch play is 60 feet, 90 feet, something like that. I don’t know when his first ‘pen is going to be.”
Treinen’s initial diagnosis didn’t have many warning signs that he would miss nearly a month. Roberts noted his injury is still an isolated thing, however, the extent of the bruised lung was worse than originally thought.
“I think that’s what happened,” Roberts said. “The imaging, what we saw, what we knew, we felt good about him traveling with us and assumed — or hoped — it would dissipate as the days went on. But that just wasn’t the case.”
Treinen has the runway to make his way back to the Dodgers with the majority of the season remaining, and the Dodgers expect him to be healthy in the near future.
What can Blake Treinen provide to Dodgers bullpen?
Once healthy, the Dodgers will gain a big time arm with the potential to overpower hitters. In spring camp, Treinen’s stuff looked back to career norms, and his wipe out slider proved to be among the est in Major League Baseball.
The Dodgers are in need of a rock in the latter part of their bullpen, with right-hander Joe Kelly and others trying to get themselves into form.
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