Los Angeles Dodgers Say They are "Slow Playing" Ace Starter as He Returns From Serious Injury

According to Los Angeles Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts, the team is going to "slow play" the return of ace starter Walker Buehler, and they don't know yet when he'll make his season debut.

Per Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register on "X:"

#Dodgers Dave Roberts on plan to 'slow-play' Walker Buehler: "There’s still no hard start date. There’s a progression that needs to be in place and is in place. Once he passes all those markers he’ll be ready to go. I just don’t know when that’s going to be."

#Dodgers Dave Roberts on plan to 'slow-play' Walker Buehler: "There’s still no hard start date. There’s a progression that needs to be in place and is in place. Once he passes all those markers he’ll be ready to go. I just don’t know when that’s going to be."
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 10, 2024

We heard two weeks ago that Buehler was heading for a delayed start to the season, and Roberts has now confirmed that.

Buehler missed all of last season (save for one rehab appearance) with Tommy John surgery so it stands to reason that the team would work him in gradually. For a Dodgers team with World Series aspirations, having Buehler available at the end of the season is more important than having him at the beginning.

When healthy, Buehler is one of the best pitchers in all of baseball, so the Dodgers will hope that he can regain his form in 2024. 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.

When he eventually does join the rotation, he'll join the likes of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton and Bobby Miller. Clayton Kershaw is out until at least July after undergoing shoulder surgery.

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