As the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen was struggling to find any sort of collective consistency, one silver lining manager Dave Roberts looked forward to was Daniel Hudson making progress in his quest to return from last year’s surgery for a torn ACL in his left knee.
Hudson was initially projected to make a recovery in time for Opening Day of the 2023, but multiple setbacks delayed his timeline. The veteran right-hander overcame lingering knee discomfort and right ankle tendinitis to get activated off the 60-day injured list at the end of June.
Unfortunately for Hudson and the Dodgers, his availability for the rest of the season now is in doubt because of a sprained MCL in his right knee. Hudson suffered the injury while converting a save on Wednesday night.
“I just can’t put into words how frustrating and disappointing this is for him. So it’s an IL and it’s going to be quite some time,” Roberts said. “He gutted it out. I don’t know how he made those last two pitches, but that’s kind of where we’re at.”
The Dodgers don’t anticipate Hudson requiring surgery for his latest knee injury, but Roberts added he did not want to “speculate too much” about whether or not the 36-year-old would return this season.
Roberts also wasn’t certain of how Hudson sustained the injury, much less continued to pitch through it for the final out but was impressed.
“I’m telling you, man, guts,” Roberts said.
Hudson appeared in just three games after getting activated, collecting five strikeouts over three scoreless innings.
Dave Roberts disappointed for Daniel Hudson
Considering the effort and dedication Hudson had in returning from ACL surgery, his sprained MCL injury is all the more deflating for Roberts to see.
“It’s difficult. Because I know the grind and what he’s gone through. You feel like an outcast when you’re not around,” Roberts said.
“You feel, ‘Why am I doing this? Is it worth it?’ And you finally get to a point where you’ve gotten back, and the highest of highs of getting a save, but then to kind of fall back once the adrenaline settles in and you realize that you’re back on the IL and you’re going to be missing a significant amount of time.
“My heart breaks for him. He was committed to coming back this year. Could’ve walked away last year, but committed to coming back. So for it to end right now the way it did, it hurts.”
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