RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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The Los Angeles Dodgers activated star closer Edwin Díaz from the 60-day injured list, the team announced in a press release on Wednesday afternoon. The 32-year-old flamethrower had been sidelined since April 20 with loose bodies in his right elbow.
Left-handed pitcher Charlie Barnes was designated for assignment in the corresponding move.
Díaz underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow on April 22 to remove five loose bodies, or fragments of bone and cartilage that break off inside the joint. It's a condition that Díaz has said he's had to manage since 2012, but the discomfort reached a tipping point early this season when he struggled to a 10.50 ERA with seven earned runs allowed in six innings pitched; an abominable 2.33 WHIP indicated he was battling through some kind of issue with his mechanics or health.
His most recent appearance for the Dodgers came on April 19, where he gave up three runs on three hits to the Colorado Rockies and was promptly pulled by manager Dave Roberts.
"I was feeling good," Díaz told reporters after his successful surgery. "But on Sunday in Colorado, I didn’t feel comfortable throwing. So I told them, 'Hey, I feel weird. I can keep throwing, but my arm doesn’t feel good. I feel tired.' And they sent me to get some images. And the loose body was there. So the decision was, just take the loose body out and rehab and be ready for the second half."
Three months later, after seven rehab appearances across the Arizona Complex League, Low-A Ontario and Triple-A Oklahoma City, it looks like Díaz has found the kind of rhythm that earned the three-time All-Star a three-year, $69 million contract with the Dodgers last offseason. He's allowed just two runs in 5.2 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts, an encouraging sign that he can return and be the centerpiece in the bullpen that the Andrew Friedman and Co. envisioned last winter.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers activate Edwin Díaz from IL: What it means for LA
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