Dodgers: Walker Buehler Undergoes Elbow Surgery; Will Miss Entire 2023 Season

The Dodgers announced this month that Walker Buehler was set to undergo season-ending elbow surgery that ultimately ended the comeback despite speculation of his near return. On Tuesday, Buehler himself confirmed that he underwent Tommy John surgery. Buehler will miss the rest of this season, all of 2023, and likely, much of the first half of the Dodgers 2024 season.

This will be Buehler's second Tommy John surgery It's hard to not feel bad for him despite his positivity displayed in his Instagram post.

Walker Buehler confirms that his elbow surgery is Tommy John surgery pic.twitter.com/Aa2gNtWYM0
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) August 23, 2022

In his games played, Buehler dished out 58 strikeouts on a 4.02 ERA. Luckily the Dodgers have been doing well with the lineup they have without Buehler leading the MLB in wins and run differential.

It remains to be seen how quickly Buehler can recover from his injury, but the Dodgers will more than likely remain patient with him. The return of Dustin May and Brusdar Graterol, along with a near return, from Clayton Kershaw gives the Dodgers the cushion they need to be able to recover from the loss.

Los Angeles Dodgers star right-hander Walker Buehler underwent Tommy John surgery today, he said on Instagram.

He'll miss the rest of the year and almost certainly all of the 2023 season, too. This will be his second Tommy John surgery, and recovery typically takes longer.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 23, 2022

The return of May brings a welcome sign to the team as he notches his first win in his first start in over 470 days. May found himself in some precarious situations, but was able to muscle his way out to a five inning shutout game delivering nine strikeouts in the process.

With games like, this it brings a welcome sigh of relief for Buehler knowing the team would be happy to have him back soon, but has the flexibility to take the time he needs to fully recover.