The Los Angeles Dodgers have already welcomed back Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw, but remain without another key starter in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, among others.
The right-hander went on the 15-day injured list in June with a right rotator cuff strain, which came one day after he was removed from a start against the Kansas City Royals due to triceps tightness.
Yamamoto has since began ramping up his throwing program, which included his first bullpen session on Friday.
While his return is still up in the air, Yamamoto said his goal is to complete his rehab as soon as possible, via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“I just want to recover as quickly as possible,” Yamamoto said in Japanese, “and direct my rehabilitation in a way to make that happen.”
Yamamoto added that his desire to pitch for the Dodgers could lead to an earlier return:
“It’s very upsetting to not be able to pitch in a game,” he said. “I think that by carrying those feelings into my rehabilitation, it will lead to me returning as early as possible.”
Yamamoto went 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 14 starts before going on the injured list. The Dodgers then transferred him to the 60-day IL, which made Aug. 15 the earliest he can be activated.
However, Yamamoto is realistically looking at September as a potential timeframe for returning. He not only has to throw off a mound, but still needs to face batters and eventually progress to a rehab assignment before rejoining the Dodgers.
Dodgers rotation without Yoshinobu Yamamoto
The Dodgers rotation currently consists of Tyler Glasnow, Jack Flahery, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone and River Ryan. That is the strongest it’s been since Yamamoto went down as they relied on a group of rookies and James Paxton to carry them while multiple pitchers were on the IL.
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