In addition to setting their 2018 Opening Day roster, the Los Angeles Dodgers also placed three players on the 10-day disabled list to begin the season. The group comprised of reliever Yimi Garcia, offseason acquisition Tom Koehler, and All-Star third baseman Justin Turner.
While Koehler is recovering from an anterior capsule strain in his right shoulder, and Turner is on the mend from a left wrist fracture, Garcia isn’t technically dealing with an injury per se. This season is his first since undergoing Tommy John surgery in December 2016.
The 27-year-old remained at Camelback Ranch so that he could continue to get work in and appear in Minor League games as part of his rehab.
According to Andy McCullough of the L.A. Times, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is expecting Garcia to reach the point where he’s ready to be reinstated from the DL within the next two weeks:
“Sometime around the second week of April, boxes will be checked for Yimi,” Roberts said. “That’s a big win for all of us. At that point in time, we’ll make a decision on what makes sense for him, and our ballclub.”
Garcia appeared in six Cactus League games this spring, posting a 6.35 ERA and 1.41 WHIP across 5.2 innings, with five strikeouts and two walks.
Considering he has not pitched in a Major League game for the Dodgers since 2016, a season in which he dealt with biceps and knee injuries, it’s likely Garcia will first be sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City or another of the organization’s affiliates.
But after that, Garcia figures to be heavily involved in the Dodgers bullpen mix this season once he’s full-go. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman named Garcia among the candidates to replace Brandon Morrow as the primary setup man to Kenley Jansen.
