Dodgers' Walker Buehler Outings Have Been 'Not Great' According to Dave Roberts

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts is critical of Walker Buehler's recent rehab starts.

Jun 4, 2022; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler (21) / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Walker Buehler's road back to a major league mound has not gone as smoothly as anyone would have hoped. The former All-Star has had his fair share of setbacks in trying to get back to Dodger Stadium.

Most recently, he failed to get out of the third inning pitching for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He walked four batters, gave up four hits, and allowed two runs in that start.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has not been overly impressed with Buehler's rehab starts. When asked about what he's seen so far, Roberts was fairly blunt in his response,

How has Buehler looked in his rehab outings? “Not great,” Roberts said. “Not great.”

- Bill Plunkett of the O.C. Register

Roberts would go on to say that he wants to see better command and execution from the right-hander. Buehler, who does not want to be on an innings limit, has yet to make it to the fifth inning.

In his first rehab start, Buehler went 3.1 innings and gave up three earned runs. He only struck out two batters and also walked two batters. Tough to judge Buehler harshly on that outing since it was the first time he's pitched in any capacity since 2022.

His second start has been his best by far. He went 4.2 innings, struck out six, and did not walk a batter in that shut-out effort.

Buehler's third outing was cut short after he took a line drive off the hand. At that point though, he did not strike out a batter but he did issue a walk.

It's clear to Roberts that Buehler is not ready to take the mound and compete against major league hitters. Buehler will make another rehab start on Wednesday, and then the team will determine what their next move is.

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