Prior to the 2022 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers re-signed Danny Duffy despite the fact that he did not throw a pitch for the team after they acquired him at the 2021 MLB trade deadline.
Duffy also underwent offseason surgery to repair his left flexor tendon which made him unavailable to start the 2022 season, but he hoped to return in June. However, that time has since passed and although he was making progress at one point, that is no longer the case.
The 33-year-old was throwing bullpen sessions and began facing hitters, but experienced another setback which makes him doubtful to make his Dodgers debut this season, according to manager Dave Roberts, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic:
Danny Duffy felt some discomfort when facing hitters in a recent live session, Dave Roberts said. “Pretty unlikely” he makes it back as an option this season.
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 16, 2022
The southpaw still has a team option with the Dodgers for the 2023 season worth $7 million. It also includes incentives of $750,000 each for 100, 110, 120, 130 innings pitched, and $1 million each for 140, 150 and 160 innings.
However, it seems unlikely the Dodgers would be willing to increase Duffy’s pay by $4 million after he hasn’t pitched in more than a year. They could look to decline their team option but re-sign him to a Minor League contract or Major League deal at a reduced salary if they still believe in his upside.
Duffy was expected to pitch out of the bullpen when he returned, but the veteran has spent most of his career as a starting pitcher. Last season he posted a 2.51 ERA, 3.40 FIP, 25.8% strikeout rate, 8.7% walk rate and 1.6 WAR despite being limited to 61 innings because of injury.
In his career, Duffy has made 204 starts in 234 games while throwing 1,172.1 innings with a career 3.95 ERA, 4.17 FIP and 16.3 WAR.
Walker Buehler undergoing season-ending surgery
The Dodgers announced Walker Buehler will undergo season-ending elbow surgery performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache on Tuesday, but no other details were provided.
Buehler was placed on the 15-day injured list June 11 due to a right flexor tendon strain and already a prolonged recovery, made a decision to have surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. The operation was not expected to impact Buehler’s timeline.
Both he and the Dodgers maintained optimism a return in September was feasible, but Buehler continued to experience pain while throwing and the team decided to shut him down after he underwent an MRI.
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