With Edwin Díaz undergoing right elbow surgery that will keep him out until the second half of the season, the Los Angeles Dodgers are planning to rely on multiple relief pitchers in his absence rather than deciding on a temporary closer.
However, manager Dave Roberts did allow for Tanner Scott being who most likely would receive the bulk of save opportunities. Sure enough, it was Scott who the Dodgers turned to in their first save situation since news of Díaz needing surgery.
Scott retired the side in order to close out the Dodgers’ 3-0 win that helped them avoid being swept by the San Francisco Giants.
“I feel good,” Scott said on SportsNet LA after the game. “I mean, there was a lot of things with my mechanics being wrong last year and it showed. I got really predictable, so it was terrible. I washed it away and moved on to the next year. Just whenever the phone rings, honestly.”
So far this season the left-hander has pitched to a 0.84 ERA and 0.56 WHIP over 12 appearances. He’s collected nine strikeouts and walked only one batter in 10.2 innings. The results are a far cry from Scott’s first season with the Dodgers.
“Middle-middle was terrible. Definitely my mechanics were off all last year,” Scott recalled. “It showed. I was missing middle-middle, and anyone in the big leagues can hit middle-middle.”
Scott’s inability to solve his mechanical woes in 2025 resulted in finishing the season 1-4 with a 4.74 ERA and a career-worst 10 blown saves.
Tanner Scott not motivated by saves
Scott’s struggles last year and having a lower body abscess removed led to not having a role with the Dodgers in the postseason. And though there’s an opportunity now to re-establish himself as a dominant closer, it’s not how Scott is viewing matters while Díaz recovers.
“I just want to win,” Scott said. “Whenever the phone rings. I don’t really care.”
His early-season success nevertheless is validation for confidence Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes and Roberts expressed during the offseason.
It’s also a particularly welcomed sign for the Dodgers not just because of losing Díaz for multiple months, but also with Scott being under contract through at least the 2028 season. Scott’s four-year, $72 million contract with the Dodgers also includes a conditional team option for 2029 that vests in the event of a qualifying injury.
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