When healthy, Blake Treinen has been not just one of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ most effective relievers, but one of the top arms in all of MLB.
However, over the past two seasons, those healthy opportunities have been rare. Since the start of the 2022 season, Treinen has thrown just five total innings.
The 35-year-old underwent shoulder surgery in November 2022 to repair his labrum and rotator cuff and expressed confidence he would pitch in 2023, but that never came to fruition.
Treienen did begin a rehab assignment last year, but he was shut down due to lingering shoulder soreness.
Now with another offseason of rest and rehab, Treinen is feeling good to go for Spring Training and hasn’t been dealing with more side effects.
“I think just getting reps, honestly,” Treinen said of what he’s focused before the start of the season. “My body, my arm, I have zero discomfort when I throw.
“So the biggest thing is just trying to retrain myself to hit the certain mechanical cues I’ve done in the past. I’ve been doing a great job right now, so it’s just building off that. And then we’ve got Spring Training, hopefully have a chance to make that roster in Korea.
“We got so many great arms that are going to be vying for spots so just trying to show them I can still contribute.”
Over three seasons in four years with the Dodgers, Treinen pitched in 104 games, throwing 103 innings with a 2.45 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 113 strikeouts and eight saves.
His best season with the club came in 2021 when he threw 72.1 innings with a 1.99 ERA, striking out 85 hitters with a 0.98 WHIP.
The Dodgers picked up his club option this offseason, which was worth just $1 million due to the right-hander not meeting the conditions to increase the value, which ranged up to $7 million.
If he is able to return to form, Treinen should once again be a key member of the bullpen and provide Dodgers manager Dave Roberts with another high-leverage option. But even if he’s just a solid reliever instead of an elite option, that should still be a significant addition to the bullpen.
Dodgers bullpen options with Blake Treinen
The Dodgers bullpen has a few locks to make the roster, which includes Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Ryan Brasier, Joe Kelly and Alex Vesia.
From there, the competition for the final three spots is open and should end up including some combination of Treinen, J.P. Feyereisen, Matt Gage, Michael Grove, Ricky Vanasco, Gus Varland, Ryan Yarbrough and the non-roster invitee Daniel Hudson.
Of that group, Treinen and Feyereisen seem to have the inside edge on two of the spots, depending on their health, while Ryan Yarbrough or Michael Grove make the most sense for the final spot in the swing-man and long relief role.
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