The Los Angeles Dodgers, heavily reliant on the performance of their right-handed ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto, are facing a potential setback. Yamamoto, who could be placed on the 15-day IL, exited Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals after just two innings due to tricep tightness.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has acknowledged the possibility of the 25-year-old being placed on the IL, a move that could significantly affect the team’s performance.
Roberts told reporters, including Los Angeles Times Mike DiGiovanna.
“It’s a high possibility,” Roberts said. “But we’ll get our doctors involved, and see if there’s more to it.”
Yamamoto’s four-seam fastball velocity was down to 93-96 mph, a significant drop that raised some concern. The situation escalated when the SportsNet LA camera caught pitching coach Mark Prior urgently summoning Roberts and the athletic trainer into the tunnel, indicating the seriousness of the situation.
It’s never a good sign when your pitcher needs to be taken out of the game early, and the Dodgers could lose out on their top ace for an extended period. Yamamoto was scheduled to pitch against the Texas Rangers for his bobblehead night but he was pushed back to Saturday for some needed rest.
The Dodgers didn’t say precisely why at the time, but they later revealed this tricep tightness was the reason.
Yamamoto felt tightness during warmups but didn’t think it was too severe. He will undergo further evaluation before an official decision is made. Nonetheless, all signs point to a 15-day IL stint, and as we all know, when it comes to the Dodgers, it will likely be more time.
