Los Angeles Dodgers' Ace May Not Start Season on Time

According to reports, the Los Angeles Dodgers may slow play the start of the season for ace pitcher Walker Buehler, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery.

Per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

But Walker Buehler’s 2024 might start late – by design, not necessity.

“He’s doing well. He continues to progress. The ball’s coming out good according to our guys that have seen him as of late,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said earlier in the offseason of Buehler’s continued recovery from a second Tommy John surgery performed in August 2022.

“As he keeps going and progressing, we’ll figure out exactly what the schedule for his (2024) season looks like. We don’t want to get too far ahead with how much time we have before spring training.”

The recent additions of Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow make the Dodgers’ decision to ‘slow play’ Buehler entering the 2024 season much easier.

So the Dodgers don't need to delay it for health reasons, but rather, they may as to keep Buehler healthier and fresher deeper into the season. For a team with designs on winning the World Series in 2024, they want all their best arms available in October.

When healthy, Buehler is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, so the Dodgers will hope that he can regain his form. The 29-year-old is a two-time All-Star who helped LA win the 2020 World Series.

The righty is 46-16 lifetime with a 3.02 ERA. He won 16 games back in the 2021 season, the most recent season in which he was fully healthy.

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