The Los Angeles Dodgers initially hoped Blake Treinen would avoid time on the injured list as he began to deal with right shoulder trouble, then believed his stint would be relatively short.
Instead, the Dodgers’ most versatile relief pitcher is due to be out until some time after the All-Star break. The Dodgers have not provided details of the shoulder injury, and Treinen declined to do so as well, but noted he’s already experienced improvement.
“I honestly feel really good right now,” Treinen said. “It’s not really anything that’s causing a lot of discomfort. It’s more of a combination of things, so we’re just kind of taking it day-by-day to get myself right.
“When that conviction comes back we’ll start throwing and move on from there.”
Treinen has yet to resume throwing since the injury surfaced in April. “As of now it’s more lower body days and working out,” he said. “I’ll be doing some strengthening stuff. They’re going to lay it out for me. I’ve just got to focus on each day and try to get back.
“I think the organization has my best interest and the team’s best interest in mind. Whatever their plan is, I’m going to trust.”
Treinen added he was forced to the IL because of not wanting to push through “some trust issues and some weakness” in his right shoulder.
While the 33-year-old spoke in general terms about his shoulder injury, he downplayed concern when asked if the trouble was related to a structural issue.
“We have a process to get myself back to playing. If it was something that bad, I probably wouldn’t be playing this year,” Treinen said. “The whole idea is to get myself back. Everybody has bumps and bruises along the way, and this is just one for me.”
Blake Treinen rehab
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared a viewpoint similar to that of his relief pitcher and doesn’t believe some of the uncertainty with the injury is a negative.
“I think it’s just knowing that there’s no set time to return, the most important thing is to get him back to full health,” Roberts said. “Whenever that is, I think we’re all prepared for that. So it’s actually easier because it kind of eliminates expectations.”
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