Dodgers Injury Update: Will Walker Buehler Return This Season?

Should the Dodgers bring back their ace for the postseason?

The postseason is just over a month away, and the Dodgers are playing like one of the best teams in baseball.

But the return of a certain starting pitcher could really bolster their starting rotation come playoff time.

29-year-old righty Walker Buehler, who has consistently performed at a high level for the Dodgers throughout his career, has been sidelined for the last 13 months after undergoing elbow reconstruction surgery for the second time in his life.

Coming back from Tommy John surgery is one of the most difficult injury recoveries in baseball, requiring patience as an athlete has to retrain their arm to do something they've done thousands of times.

However, Buehler has gone through this recovery process once and is hungry to get back to the team as the playoffs approach.

Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman is hopeful, but isn't getting his hopes up on the chances Buehler makes a return to the mound this season.

"He is pushing hard because he's as good of a competitor as I've been around. And so our thing is, he's pushing hard, we're making sure the doctor and our training staff were in lock step every step of the way," Andrew Friedman said. "And so for me, it's either going to fall out and him get back at some point in September, and if so, that's incredible. But I'm trying not to let my mind go there because I want it to be if it's right for Walker and we're not pushing it at all."

(Via

"The Show", a NY Post podcast

)

According to Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, Buehler did an up/down Saturday and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes a mid/late-September return is still possible.

For more updates regarding Buehler and his path back to pitching, watch Doug McKain's latest take on the star's recovery process.