The Dodgers are making a change at the back end of the bullpen, and Edwin Diaz is the one headed to the injured list.
According to separate reports Tuesday, Los Angeles will shelve its struggling closer and call up Triple-A right-hander Emmet Sheehan. The move gives the Dodgers another arm in a spot where they’ve needed answers fast.
Sheehan’s season line with the Dodgers has been uneven: a 5.29 ERA over 95.1 innings in 20 starts. He was tagged for five runs on six hits in 2.2 innings against the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 2, then got optioned the next day.
But the picture has looked better in Oklahoma City. In two Triple-A starts with the Comets, he’s put up a 2.84 ERA, and his latest outing on Aug. 12 was his sharpest yet - 5.2 shutout innings, three hits allowed, two walks and eight strikeouts.
For now, the Dodgers are expected to use Sheehan to help cover some innings out of the bullpen in the middle game of their three-game set against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday, Aug. 18.
Diaz’s season has gone in the opposite direction. Before signing a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers in December 2025, he was among the best closers in MLB. This year, though, he’s carrying an 11.85 ERA and has blown four saves.
The 32-year-old has only made 16 appearances after a procedure to remove loose bodies from his right elbow. He missed more than two months while rehabbing, then came back and allowed 11 runs in 6.2 innings. His latest outing was another rough one: in a non-save situation Monday against the Rockies, Diaz gave up three runs on four hits, and his fastball - usually around 96 mph - dipped to 93.
Los Angeles will now try to give him the break it believes he needs. The Dodgers are well ahead in the National League West, but a closer issue is the last thing they want six weeks before the postseason begins.
In save situations, the job is likely to fall to left-hander Tanner Scott while Diaz is out. Scott was already warming in the ninth inning Monday in case Diaz couldn’t finish off the eventual 11-5 win over Colorado. He’s posted a 2.20 ERA and leads the team with 16 saves.
In Other News...
Kyle Tucker's Dodgers Struggles Have Reached An Uncomfortable New Level
Kyle Tuckers first season in Los Angeles has taken on a far different tone than the Dodgers probably imagined, with the outfielder battling at the plate and in the field at the same time. He has been stuck at .230 offensively, and the defensive metrics have only added to the concern as his overall game has drifted away from the standard the Dodgers expected when they brought him in.
The recent stretch has only sharpened the discomfort around his situation, with Tucker searching for any kind of rhythm while mistakes keep piling up in view of everyone around him. Eric Karros even floated the idea of a reset away from the day-to-day pressure, a sign of how far the conversation has gone as the Dodgers try to figure out what comes next for a player whose form has become one of the clubs more uneasy storylines. [Read more 🡒]
Freddie Freeman Just Made The Rockies Task At Coors Even Tougher
Freddie Freemans stumble into the visitors dugout last week briefly put the Dodgers on alert, with the veteran first baseman leaving the field after tracking an infield fly ball against the Royals. He wound up sitting out a game to rest after dealing with overall body soreness, a reminder of how quickly an ordinary play can turn into a concern for a club trying to keep its lineup intact.
The encouraging part for Los Angeles is that Freeman has since moved past it and remains one of the most reliable bats in the order. For a Dodgers team headed into another demanding stretch, especially with the trip to Coors Field looming for the Rockies, having Freeman back to full speed matters just as much as anything else on the roster. [Read more 🡒]