The Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Roki Sasaki and placed Kirby Yates on the 15-day injured list due to right hamstring strain. Yates’ IL stint is retroactive to Sept. 21.
It marks a third time Yates has been on the injured list this season and seemingly puts his availability for the playoffs in jeopardy. At minimum, he is guaranteed to miss when the Dodgers likely start the postseason in the Wild Card Series.
Yates previously missed time from the middle of May into the first week of June because of a right hamstring strain. He again went on the 15-day IL on Aug. 1 (retroactive to July 29) with lower back pain.
Though with that, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated Yates’ injury involved the “middle part of the body, the pelvic, the back.”
Yates wound up missing just over three weeks, and continued to struggle upon returning.
In his last 11 appearances since being activated, Yates pitched to an 8.10 ERA while allowing three home runs and walking five batters over 10 innings.
“Kirby has been dealing with this hamstring for quite some time. He’s doing everything he can to post, but it just clearly has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said before Wednesday’s game.
Overall this season, Yates went 4-3 with a 5.23 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in 50 games. It was a disappointing year for the veteran who was coming off an All-Star season as a dominant closer for the Texas Rangers.
Roki Sasaki joins Dodgers bullpen
Sasaki returns from the 60-day injured list with an opportunity to make a significant impact for the Dodgers out of the bullpen.
It’s a new role for the rookie but one he’s willingly embraced to help the Dodgers in their pursuit of repeating as World Series champions. Another layer complicating the role change is Sasaki missed more than four months because of a right shoulder impingement.
When he began a rehab assignment in the middle of August, it was with making weekly starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City. That changed on Sept. 18, when Sasaki threw one inning out of the bullpen. He did the same three days later, and in both cases his fastball velocity hovered around 100 mph.
Roberts said whether Sasaki will pitch in high-leverage situations has not yet been decided, and he noted it’s likely the plan is going to include at least two days of rest between appearances.
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