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Los Angeles Dodgers' Star Checks Another Box in Return From Major Surgery

As he continues to battle back from Tommy John surgery in 2022, Los Angeles Dodgers' star Walker Buehler passed another test on Tuesday: facing live hitters.
Brady Farkas|
Los Angeles Dodgers' Star Checks Another Box in Return From Major Surgery
Los Angeles Dodgers' Star Checks Another Box in Return From Major Surgery

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Los Angeles Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers' ace Walker Buehler passed another test on Tuesday as he continues to work back from 2022 Tommy John surgery: facing live hitters.

Per Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times on social media:

Walker Buehler said he felt good during his live BP yesterday, and that his fastball was sitting 94-95 mph 

He said he’ll probably need another 3-4 live BPs before being ready for game action, but sounded encouraged about his progress lately

It's been an interesting rehab process for Buehler. First, we thought he may be an option for the Dodgers in the playoffs last year. Then, even though he was close enough to game-ready last season, we heard he wasn't going to start the year with the big league club and likely wouldn't pitch at all in Cactus League games.

Regardless, getting a live BP session out of the way is good for Buehler, who is a vital part of the Dodgers' organization. 

The 29-year-old is a two-time All-Star who helped LA win the 2020 World Series. Lifetime, he's 46-16 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. Unfortunately, Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are also expected to miss most or all of the season because of arm injuries.

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Brady Farkas
BRADY FARKAS

Brady Farkas is a baseball writer for Fastball on Sports Illustrated/FanNation and the host of 'The Payoff Pitch' podcast which can be found on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Videos on baseball also posted to YouTube. Brady has spent nearly a decade in sports talk radio and is a graduate of Oswego State University. You can follow him on Twitter @WDEVRadioBrady. 

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