RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Edwin Diaz was signed to be the team’s closer, but when he comes back from the injured list , he will not be in that role.
Diaz had elbow surgery early in the season, leading to months on the injured list.
He was out from April until late July after Diaz had loose bodies removed from his right arm. When he finally returned, things were not good for Diaz.
During the month of August, he had a 15.88 ERA, with three blown saves and two poor outings in non-save situations.
Jul 29, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) looks on during the ninth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
His command was off, and more importantly, his pitches were not moving enough to miss bats or the barrel, leading to a ton of hits and traffic on the bases.
Eventually, after a brutal outing against the Rockies where he came in to close out an 11-2 game to build confidence and coughed up three runs before getting three outs, Diaz reported neck pain, which led to an IL placement for neck inflammation.
He will be out for more than a week, but the Dodgers already have a role in mind for him, and it will not be as the closer.
Aug 17, 2026; Denver, Colorado, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) pitches in the ninth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
What will Edwin Diaz’s role be?
Manager Dave Roberts will be using Diaz in lower-leverage spots to build him up as a bullpen arm and get that confidence rather than put him right into ninth-inning work, like he did last year.
“I think it’s more about getting him back healthy and then putting him in some softer landing situations to get the confidence, to get the feel and the trust of executing pitches, getting major league hitters out, and then at that point in time we’ll go from there,” Roberts said.
Dave Roberts on the plan for Edwin Diaz when he returns from the IL: “Getting him back healthy, putting him in some softer landing situations, getting Major League hitters out and we’ll go from there.”
— Dodgers Nation (@DodgersNation) August 22, 2026
In the past, Roberts has been quite stubborn about keeping Diaz as the closer and in a role he is comfortable with.
However, the emergence of Tanner Scott and Diaz’s unreliability leave a team pushing for a three-peat needing to see it before believing it.
As for Diaz, by all accounts, he will be pushing to get back to where he thinks he belongs, but he has expressed a willingness to do what the team needs from him.
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