The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Walker Buehler on the 15-day injured list and recalled Michael Grove from Triple-A Oklahoma City. It represented their second roster move ahead of Saturday’s game against the San Francisco Giants, as Clayton Kershaw was reinstated and Justin Bruihl got optioned.
Buehler heads to the IL one day after throwing just 70 pitches over four innings. He was removed early due to experiencing what the Dodgers initially diagnosed a right elbow discomfort. Buehler’s official designation for his IL stint is due to a right forearm strain.
He felt discomfort after throwing a curveball in the third inning on Friday night and hoped it would dissipate like with prior instances some pain has set in. However, Buehler said during a postgame interview the discomfort never curtailed, which prompted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts to remove him.
Roberts said on Saturday he anticipates Buehler missing a significant amount of time. He returned to Los Angeles for an MRI that the team is still awaiting the results of.
In some sense the elbow trouble could at least partly explain Buehler’s struggles this season, but he declined to use the injury as reason for subpar performances.
He’s 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA and 1.29 WHIP over 12 starts this year.
Grove back with Dodgers
Grove was recalled for a third time this season and returns nine days after being sent to Oklahoma City as the corresponding move to the Dodgers adding Caleb Ferguson to their active roster.
Grove made his MLB debut on May 15 and pitched out of the bullpen for L.A. on June 1. He has a 5.79 ERA and three strikeouts across 4.2 innings pitched over the two games.
The 25-year-old received his first callup straight from Double-A Tulsa, but has been optioned to Oklahoma City after both prior stints with the Dodgers. Grove has yet to record a decision while with OKC and pitched to a 5.40 ERA.
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