What's Next for Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto?

Yamamoto made his first rehab start Wednesday.

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto completed his first rehab start on Wednesday after spending more than two months on the injured list with a rotator cuff strain.

In his first start back with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Yamamoto allowed one hit and one earned run while striking out two in two innings pitched against the Round Rock Express. He threw strikes on 23 of his 31 pitches and reached a high speed of 95.7 miles per hour during the outing.

Yoshinobu Yamamoto completes two innings during tonight's rehab assignment.

2.0 IP | 1 H | 1 R | 1 ER | 0 BB | 2 K

31 pitches/23 strikes pic.twitter.com/0mrutGuEUg

— Oklahoma City Baseball Club (@okc_baseball) August 29, 2024

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that the next step for Yamamoto will be to make another rehab start five or six days after Wednesday's start. The plan is for Yamamoto to pitch three innings in that next start. After that, the Dodgers will decide if Yamamoto needs a third rehab start.

“Then from that point on I think it’s a conversation whether to start for us makes sense or he needs another (rehab) start,” Roberts said, via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register.

Roberts has previously stated he could see Yamamoto returning in mid-September, which he remains on track for with this rough timeline.

"Threw well, came out of it good," Roberts said of Yamamoto's performance Wednesday, via The Associated Press. "Hopefully, we can get him to three innings his next outing and then throw another one in the pen after that and then have a real conversation if it makes sense for him to join us."

This was Yamamoto's first time pitching in a game since June 15, when he pitched two innings for the Dodgers before he was pulled with the injury. When healthy, Yamamoto started 14 games for the Dodgers, going 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA and 84 strikeouts. In his last three starts, he allowed just one earned run.

Before joining the Dodgers on a 12-year, $325 million over the offseason, Yamamoto was 70-29 with a 1.82 ERA and 922 strikeouts pitching for the Orix Buffaloes of Nippon Professional Baseball. He was a three-time Pacific League MVP and four-time ERA leader in Japan.

Yamamoto is part of an injured Dodgers' rotation that is lacking several of their top pitchers due to injury. Tyler Glasnow is on the injured list with elbow tendinitis, and Clayton Kershaw exited Friday's game early with a bone spur in his toe. Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller have pitched for the Dodgers this week, but both missed time earlier in the season due to injury.