Edwin Diaz gave up three runs on four hits in one inning Monday night in Colorado. He struck out nobody and hit a batter. The next day, the Los Angeles Dodgers put him on the injured list.
According to CBS Sports, Diaz was placed on the IL Tuesday with neck inflammation. An MRI came back clean, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts described the results as a best-case scenario, suggesting nothing structural or nerve-related was detected. In a corresponding move, pitcher Emmet Sheehan was recalled from Triple-A.
It is the second injured list stint of the season for Diaz. He missed three months earlier in the year after surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow. He was placed on the IL on April 20 and returned July 29. The return did not go well. In nine appearances after coming back, he posted a 12.91 ERA with three saves in six chances. His overall numbers for the season stand at an 11.85 ERA, a 2.56 WHIP, and a -1.4 WAR across 16 outings. He has seven saves and four blown saves.
The Dodgers signed Diaz to a three-year, $69 million deal this past offseason, looking to address what had been a recurring bullpen weakness. The first year of that contract has not gone as planned. Diaz was one of the best closers in baseball in 2025, as he had been in 2022, 2020, and 2018. None of that form has carried over into this season.
Roberts has been candid about the situation the bullpen problems have created. Asked recently about whether Diaz could be moved to lower-leverage situations, he made clear there was no easy answer.
"Give me another option. I can't just say, 'Change (Díaz) to low leverage.' I have to have other options, and to be quite honest, none of those guys really have thrown the baseball great. That's just kind of the way it is," Roberts said.
With Diaz now back on the IL, Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia are the most likely candidates to handle late-inning work. Scott carries a 2.20 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP this season. Vesia has posted a 2.91 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Evan Phillips, who has previous closing experience with the Dodgers, and Jack Dreyer are also options.
The bullpen situation echoes a problem the Dodgers faced late last season, though they found solutions in the playoffs. Roki Sasaki moved to the bullpen for the postseason, and the team's four frontline starters worked deep into games, reducing the bullpen's workload enough to push through to another World Series title. Whether a similar workaround is available this October remains unclear.
Sheehan's recall gives the roster a fresh arm, but the deeper question of who can consistently protect leads in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings has no clear answer right now.
