DENVER — With his return from Tommy John surgery seemingly stalled by another dismal outing, along with bouts of hip soreness, Dodgers right-hander Walker Buehler was placed on the injured list on Wednesday with the hope that he can pull off a reset of his comeback bid.
The Dodgers filled the roster vacancy by reinstating right-hander Bobby Miller from the injured list. Miller, sidelined for more than two months because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder, started Wednesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies.
Buehler missed all of last season while recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery but he has struggled to regain the dominating form he has displayed in past seasons. In eight starts since his May 6 return, Buehler has gone 1-4 with a 5.84 ERA. He endured his worst start of the campaign on Tuesday night, when he was hammered for seven runs on seven hits and one walk in four innings. The Dodgers got him off the hook for the loss with an epic ninth-inning rally to beat the Rockies, 11-9.
Buehler, who dealt with bouts of hip soreness earlier this season, also appeared to aggravate the issue when he was hit in the hip area by a line drive off the bat of Colorado’s Nolan Jones. Buehler recovered to throw out Jones at first and remained in the game for one more inning.
Manager Dave Roberts said Buehler’s hip problems figured in the decision, coupled with the organization’s concerns over his erratic performances.
“It’s just the right thing to do,” Roberts said. “And obviously, getting back to full strength health-wise. I think, too, a little bit sort of finding himself again. I think he’s still in search mode. So, he’s kind of getting back to health. I think for the mind and for some clarity, this will be a good thing for him.”
A frustrated Buehler signaled the possibility that he was headed for the IL with his comments after the game Tuesday night. He praised his teammates for pulling off the unlikely comeback, but also was hard on himself, mentioning he had discussions with coaches over the possibility of taking a “blow” to get back on track.
“We’ve thought about kind of taking a blow, taking a month off, taking a week out, whatever, trying to figure out how to kind of get me reset,” Buehler said. “You know, it sucks to feel kind of invaluable or like you’re hampering your team. At the end of the day, we really like our team and want to be ready for the end of the year.”
Roberts said he expected Buehler’s return, after a long absence, to come with ups and downs but expressed confidence he will be able come back in time to play a prominent late-season role. There was no immediate timetable on his return.
“It’s not linear, certainly, with the comeback,” Roberts said. “But I believe in who he is, and I believe in what he’s done. I do believe he has the capability to clean things up to be the guy that we need him to be in October.”
REMEMBERING MAYS
Roberts, who spent the final two years of his 12-year major league playing career with the San Francisco Giants, fondly recalled his friendship with baseball great Willie Mays.
The Hall of Famer died on Tuesday at 93. A moment of silence was observed in his honor prior to Wednesday night’s game at Coors Field.
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“We lost a great one,” Roberts said. “I got to call him a friend. I didn’t obviously get to see him play. Many would argue he was the greatest ballplayer of all time. He was a showman. He was a gentleman. Great competitor. Really fun storyteller. I got to spend time with Willie Mays and Willie McvCovey. And so really, really grateful for that.”
NOTES ON A COMEBACK
Trailing by five runs heading into the ninth inning on Tuesday night, the Dodgers’ win probability stood at only 0.5% but they beat the odds. It took Jason Heyward’s pinch-hit grand slam and a go-ahead three-run homer by Teoscar Hernandez to rally the team to the stunning 11-9 victory.
It was the sixth win in Dodgers’ history involving a rally in the ninth inning or later in which they scored five or more runs. But it was the first since July 18, 1957, when they came back late to beat St. Louis.
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Gavin Stone, 7-2, 3.01 ERA) at Rockies (LHP Ty Blach, 3-4, 4.65 ERA), Thursday, 12:10 p.m. PT, Sports Net LA, 570 AM