The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Edwin Diaz during free agency, once again indicating they were targeting top talent. Diaz is now the Dodgers’ closer, but he has already started to deal with some issues.
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“Diaz blew his first save of the season in his most recent appearance, which was against the Rangers in the opening game of the Dodgers’ recent homestand. He said he experienced discomfort in his right knee,” Dylan Hernandez of the New York Post wrote.
The knee discomfort came seemingly out of nowhere, but the Dodgers are being cautious with Diaz. Manager Dave Roberts is making sure it is handled correctly.
Dave Roberts said the Dodgers are still going to “tread carefully” Edwin Diaz’s workload as he works to increase his velocity. His usage will be evaluated “day by day” for now. Roberts clarified that the level of concern with Diaz is low and that “it’s not an IL thing we’re talking about.”
On Sunday, Diaz appeared against the Colorado Rockies and failed to record an out, an unusual performance. Roberts later met with the media and admitted there is some level of concern.
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“Today was a tough assessment,” Roberts said. “I know how it’s supposed to be, and when it’s not, it really becomes a little worrying. So I’ll have a conversation with him.”
The positive thing is that DÃaz still has a lot of season left to figure things out. However, if it is an injury-related issue, it needs to be addressed now. At this point, if something is bothering him, Diaz needs to be honest about it.
The Dodgers are still a very strong team, but if Diaz can’t be trusted, that suggests something may be wrong. This could simply be a difficult stretch that coincides with your knee discomfort, or it could be a deeper problem that needs attention.
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