Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sounds alarm on closer Edwin Diaz following Rockies blunder
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts sounds the alarm on closer Edwin Diaz following Rockies mistake, originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as your preferred source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Edwin Diaz while he was free, once again signaling that they were targeting top talent. Díaz is now the Dodgers’ closer, but he’s already started to iron out some issues.
Advertisement
“Diaz missed his first save of the season in his most recent appearance, against the Rangers in the opener of the Dodgers’ recently completed home game. He said he felt discomfort in his right knee,” wrote Dylan Hernandez of the New York Post.
The knee discomfort seemingly came out of nowhere, but the Dodgers are being cautious with Díaz. Manager Dave Roberts is making sure the issue is handled properly.
“Dave Roberts said the Dodgers were still going to “go light” on Edwin Díaz’s workload as he works to increase his velocity. His usage will be evaluated “day to day” for now. Roberts clarified that the level of concern with Díaz is low and that “it’s not an IL thing we’re talking about.” Instead, he described him as just wanting to be cautious with their new closer until his “Business is back to where it normally is,” Jack Harris of the California Post wrote.
On Sunday, Díaz appeared against the Colorado Rockies and failed to record a putout, an unusual performance. Roberts later met with the media and admitted there was some level of concern.
Advertisement
“Today was a tough assessment,” Roberts said. “I know what it’s supposed to look like, and when it doesn’t look like that, it gets a little worrying, really. So, I’m going to have a conversation with him.”
The positive is that Díaz still has plenty 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, Díaz needs to be upfront about it.
The Dodgers remain a very strong team, but if Díaz can’t be counted on, that suggests something is wrong. It could simply be a difficult stretch coinciding with his knee discomfort, or it could be a deeper problem that needs attention.
More MLB news:
