Landon Knack has emerged as an important contributor for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, even though his opportunities with the team have scattered across multiple stints.
Including Clayton Kershaw, who has yet to pitch this season and is shut down for at least one week because of left shoulder soreness, the Dodgers’ starting rotation has been without Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller and Yoshinobu Yamamoto at various points.
Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Emmet Sheehan also haven’t been on the mound for L.A. at all in 2024.
Knack’s latest stint began last week because of recent injuries to Yamamoto and Buehler, but he’s now due to remain part of the Dodgers rotation, according to Mike DiGioVanna of the L.A. Times
“He’s in rotation for the foreseeable future,” Roberts said of Knack, “and he’s earned it, absolutely.”
With Yamamoto’s timeline up in the air, Knack will have an opportunity to stick around with the Dodgers for quite some time.
Even though Yamamoto’s right rotator cuff strain is a tough pill to swallow, the Dodgers can take solace in the fact that Knack has looked more than capable of picking up the slack at least in the short term. He has made five starts this year and been effective in all of them with a 2.10 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 18 strikeouts.
Landon Knack making most of opportunities
Despite the volatile nature of his role with the Dodgers this season, Knack has found a way to be successful without the privilege of establishing permeant roots in the Majors.
His ability to step in when the Dodgers are in need of a replacement for an injured starter has been invaluable for the team this season, and now Knack has a chance to further cement his value.
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