Edwin Díaz is closing in on the finish line of his rehab assignment, but the timing means his return to the Dodgers bullpen won’t line up with a matchup against the Mets.
Manager Dave Roberts said on SportsNet LA that Díaz is set to work back-to-back with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday and then make one more appearance after that.
“He’ll be down for two days, and then I think as I sit here today, that he’s going to throw one last day for that OKC team,” Roberts said on SportsNet LA.
That puts Díaz in position to rejoin the Dodgers as soon as Tuesday, when they open a six-game homestand. It also means he still won’t get a chance to pitch against the team he spent parts of six seasons with before leaving in free agency.
Díaz signed a three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers last December after his run with the Mets, a move that drew criticism from Mets owner and CEO Steve Cohen, who called it “perplexing.”
Díaz addressed that decision in Spring Training, saying, “It’s a market I was in. I was a free agent, so I got the chance to talk with everyone,” Díaz said in Spring Training.
“I think the Dodgers did a great job recruiting me. At the end of the day, I chose to be here.”
His path back has already included a couple of missed chances to face New York. Díaz did not pitch against the Mets at Dodger Stadium in April because of a right knee issue, and less than a week later he landed on the injured list with the right elbow trouble that eventually required surgery to remove bone spurs.
On Wednesday afternoon, Díaz made his fifth rehab appearance and opened by striking out the first two hitters he faced before allowing a base hit. Paul Gervase then let the inherited runner score, and that run was charged to Díaz.
So far, Díaz has worked in games for Single-A Ontario, the Dodgers’ Rookie-level affiliate in Arizona and the Comets. He’s now thrown 5.2 innings on the assignment, giving up one run while striking out nine and walking one.
Before the surgery, Díaz had struggled for the Dodgers, posting a 10.50 ERA, 4.94 FIP and 2.33 WHIP with four saves in six innings over seven appearances.
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