Dodgers News: Injured Reliever Should Be Ready Near Start of Spring Training

For an all-too-brief moment, Daniel Hudson was a highlight for the Dodgers in 2022. He posted a 2.22 ERA in 24 innings pitched and looked poised fill an important role in the Los Angeles bullpen.

But on June 24, Hudson landed awkwardly making a play in front of the mound, crumpling to the ground in what was immediately clear as a season-ending injury. Tests confirmed a torn ACL, and his year was done.

Hudson had contemplated retirement after 2021, but the chance to come back to the Dodgers (he spent 2018 in L.A.) was too much to pass up. After the knee injury, many wondered if he might call it a career.

But shortly after the injury, Hudson and Los Angeles agreed on a 2023 contract, ensuring that he would be back in Dodger blue next year to finish his career on a high note. And as we found out on Wednesday, it sounds like that plan is right on track.

Daniel Hudson is progressing well from his torn ACL, Gomes said. Hudson began throwing again at the end of the season, and the hope is he'll be ready for the start of spring training (or shortly after)
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) November 10, 2022

Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes sounds optimistic that Hudson will be back next year. The hard-throwing righty will turn 36 during spring training, and his experience and veteran leadership will be valuable commodities in the L.A. bullpen.

Hudson has pitched for seven teams in his 13-year career. He won a World Series with the Nationals in 2019, one of only two times he has pitched in the postseason, having made one start for the DBacks in the 2011 NLDS. In 2018, Hudson's previous stint in Los Angeles, he was injured late in the year and missed the playoffs.