The last week has been an interesting one for Los Angeles Dodgers rookie Walker Buehler, as a scheduled rehab start for Triple-A Oklahoma City never came to fruition.
Instead of making that start, Buehler flew back to Los Angeles, where he was activated from the 10-day disabled list and pitched in relief of Clayton Kershaw in a loss to the Chicago Cubs.
The appearance did not go well for Buehler, as he gave up five hits and five runs while recording just three outs. Buehler pitched into a second inning of work before Dodgers manager Dave Roberts came with the hook.
He looked rusty, which could have been predicted and was to be expected considering Buehler was coming off a microfracture in his ribs that kept him out of action for three weeks.
Buehler was then optioned to High-A Rancho Cucamonga on Friday night, and it appears the Dodgers finally have a plan set in stone for their prized young arm.
According to J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group, Buehler will make a couple starts with the Quakes to get his pitch count back built up and return to his pre-injury form:
Buehler might need two or more rehab starts before he returns to the Dodgers’ rotation. The goal, Roberts said, was for Buehler to “get built up, number 1, and pitching the way he was prior to the injury, number 2.”
Given that the Dodgers have five capable starters right now in Clayton Kershaw, Rich Hill, Alex Wood, Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling, this route seems to make the most sense for Buehler to get him back up to game speed.
When he returns, barring any other injuries, the Dodgers could opt to go with a six-man rotation to keep everyone fresh down the stretch of a potential pennant race.
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