Dodgers News: Noah Syndergaard is Getting Closer to Making a Return
Noah Syndergaard must prove himself in Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment before he potentially rejoins the Dodger starting rotation.
Syndergaard has been a disaster in a Dodger uniform, but since LA starters have spent so much time on the IL this season any help might be good help.
As manager Dave Roberts puts it, if Syndergaard can get Major Leaguers out, the Dodgers will welcome him back.
Syndergaard must forget about the past when he used a 98+ miles-per-hour fastball to dominate the opposition and learn how to pitch effectively. Most older Major-League pitchers have gone through this transition. Clayton Kershaw has been through it and still is one of the best starters in baseball.
If the Dodgers didn’t need starters badly, they wouldn’t have stayed stuck with Syndergaard and his ERA north of 7 into June. However, they knew both Bobby Miller and Emmet Sheehan needed time in the Minor Leagues to mature as pitchers and men.
In twelve starts, Syndergaard had one win and four losses with a 7.12 ERA. He consistently worried about regaining the velocity he displayed as a New York Met in 2015 when he helped to carry his team to the World Series where the Mets lost to the Kansas City Royals.
Syndergaard needed to concentrate on improving his secondary pitches to help the Dodgers win. In 2022, he helped both the Angels and the Phillies when he had ten wins and ten losses with a 4.08 ERA.
Syndergaard ultimately has thirty days to prove himself -- or the maximum time allotted for a MiLB rehab assignment. After this period, the Dodgers must decide what to do with Syndergaard. The Dodgers hope they don’t have any more injuries to starters to cloud their judgment on Syndergaard.
