Dodgers News: Walker Buehler Sets Ambitious Return Goal After Tommy John Surgery

Walker Buehler is growing more confident in his ability to return this season.

Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler is making progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. During a bullpen session at Dodger Stadium, Walker was up to 89 mph off the mound just 9 months after surgery. While he's still a few weeks away from throwing at full effort, it's a development that has everyone surprised but the right-hander.

Walker Buehler threw his bullpen at Dodger Stadium today, as expected.

“September 1 is still the goal for me (to return) but I want to come up at a certain pitch count to where me being here is not a hindrance.”

— Dodger Insider (@DodgerInsider) May 16, 2023

September 1st would mark just 12 months and a week after his operation. It's something he said he's very comfortable doing. He also emphasized his aim to come back as a starter.

“I don’t think anything has happened that would tell me that’s not an achievable goal. Obviously, we’ve got a lot of talented players and a really good team and I’m going to try to contribute any way I can. But, for me, being a starting pitcher is my goal and the way that I think I can provide the most value so hopefully everything’s good and my stuff’s good and I can get people out again then hopefully I can make some starts.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts learned about Buehler's personal timeline from reporters and acknowledged that September 1st is an aggressive target.

“I think September 1 is pretty aggressive,” Roberts said. “It’s hard to bet against this guy, but 9/1 is not what I was hearing. I’m happy he feels that way, that’s a good thing.”

Returning to the mound as a starting pitcher within 12 months after a second Tommy John surgery is an extremely bold goal, and Walker knows it's not guaranteed. The most important factor in when he returns is the long-term impact it may have on his career. He did reveal that his elbow ligament didn't actually tear last season but was affected by a bone fragment that cut into the UCL, so it wasn't a catastrophic failure of the elbow. 

If that helps him in the long run remains to be seen.