Dodgers Executive Provides Latest Update on Walker Buehler's Health

Buehler will be a welcome sight in the starting rotation.

The Dodgers will be getting back one of their core players this season after not seeing him on the field at all in 2023. 

Starting pitcher Walker Buehler missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery and a flexor tendon repair, putting his meteoric career trajectory on hold.

Buehler had been one of the better pitchers in baseball before his right elbow gave out, making National League All-Star teams in 2019 and 2021. He — and fans — were hoping to see him on the mound last October, but the team paused his comeback to make sure he was 100 percent ready to return to a major league rotation.

The right-hander is expected to be ready to go for next season, but the team may take a hesitant approach with him. There have been reports that they could delay his start to the year to ensure he is ready for the postseason. 

Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman spoke with Jim Duquette and Jim Bowden of MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM recently, and provided an update on Buehler's health.

“Walker is the ultimate competitor, and so much of him coming back last October was kind of driven by him, even with it not being the safest thing in the world from his standpoint. But it just speaks to who he is, and his willingness to help us win. There were some outings last September on this rehab path where he looked like vintage Walker Buehler. And just for us, trying to look out for his next 10, 12 years, it wasn’t smart to keep dialing up the intensity, and to add that. He’s had a pretty normal offseason. We’re really confident he’s going to be in a really good spot."

Per Andrew Friedman via MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM

"Vintage Walker Buehler" is one of baseball's best pitchers. In 2021, Buehler logged 226 innings between the regular season and postseason and led the NL in starts with 33. He finished the regular season 16-4 with a 2.47 ERA.

Considering the serious nature of his injury, a more cautious return makes sense. Buehler underwent his first Tommy John surgery shortly after the Dodgers selected him 24th overall in the 2015 draft. 

By acquiring two top-of-the-rotation starters in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, the Dodgers set themselves up to survive stretches of the 2024 season without Buehler. The most important part of Buehler's comeback season will be re-establishing a rhythm, not rushing everything.

The Dodgers will take a flexible approach to rationing Buehler's innings with an eye toward the postseason, Friedman said.

"Now it’s just about, what’s the prudent thing to do in terms of workload? The question is, when do we do it, how do we ease him in – whether it’s easing him in on the front end, whether it’s building up some workload and getting some fatigue on him and protecting him there in the middle, we don’t know yet. Still really confident that he’s going to be a big part of what we do this year.”

Per Andrew Friedman via MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM

Buehler has become a staple in the Dodgers' rotation, and the organization will gladly welcome him back whenever he's needed.