The Los Angeles Dodgers held their first Spring Training workout on Wednesday, with all pitchers and catchers and a number of position players present.
A number of pitchers, such as, Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill threw their first bullpen sessions of the spring, while the position players got some field work and batting practice in.
Dodgers top prospect Walker Buehler is in big league camp for the first time this spring as he is expected to make an impact at the Major League level in 2018. That may not come right away though, as he is expected to be on an innings limit in his second full season removed from Tommy John surgery.
Because of that innings limit, Dodgers general manager Farhan Zaidi said that the team will be conservative with Buehler this spring so he can be ready to go in the latter half of the season.
Easing the young right-hander along may be more of a necessity now, as Buehler missed a workout due to possible complications with his physical exam, via Ken Gurnick of MLB.com:
Walker Buehler missed Thursday's workout to undergo follow-up medical tests related to his physical exam and is expected back on the field Friday. Manager Dave Roberts said Buehler's arm is not an issue.
— Ken Gurnick (@kengurnick) February 15, 2018
That Buehler may avoid an arm injury is of course the positive news for the Dodgers. So too is the expectation that he’ll join his teammates on Friday.
There is still some cause for concern as the entire organization awaits the results of the follow-up tests which will decide the course of action that they plan to take with their prized young pitcher.
