Dodgers Placing Edwin Diaz on Injured List in Massive Development

The Los Angeles Dodgers are placing All-Star closer Edwin Diaz on the injured list, per Katie Woo of The Athletic.

NEWS: The Dodgers are placing closer Edwin Díaz on the IL. More soon @TheAthleticMLB
— Katie Woo (@katiejwoo) August 18, 2026

This is the expected corresponding move for right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan, who is being recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City ahead of Tuesday's game against the Colorado Rockies.

Diaz has already missed more than three months this season after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. However, he hasn't been better since his return, sporting a 12.91 ERA since coming off the injured list at the end of July.

Overall, he has an 11.85 ERA over 13.2 innings this year with four blown saves. Now, he'll miss even more time in his first season of a three-year, $69 million deal he signed with LA.

Diaz's most recent appearance came on Monday against the Rockies, when he entered in a low-leverage spot in the ninth inning with the Dodgers up 11-2.

Diaz proceeded to give up three earned runs, and Tanner Scott was forced to get up in the bullpen (although Diaz was able to finish the game).

After the game, manager Dave Roberts tried to instill confidence in his former All-Star reliever.

“I just hope he doesn’t lose his confidence," Roberts said to reporters after the game. "I believe in him. The compete was there.”

“Obviously the results weren’t good,” he added. “But I still think that him getting out there, pitching major-league innings, is going to help him. So yeah, we’re still working through some things.”

Who Will Be the Dodgers Closer With Edwin Diaz Out?

Roberts has been adamant over the last week that he wouldn't remove Diaz from his role as the team's closer amid his struggles.

That decision has now been taken out of his hands.

The Dodgers will almost certainly go to Scott in the ninth inning for the foreseeable future. With the postseason just six weeks away, though, the Dodgers will likely start transitioning starting pitchers to the bullpen, too.

Roki Sasaki, who closed for the Dodgers last October, could be a late-season option in the bullpen if the starting rotation is fully healthy.

Dodgers Bringing Back Emmet Sheehan

As for Sheehan, he was optioned on Monday, Aug. 3, following a rough start that Sunday against the Boston Red Sox.

The right-hander lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing five runs on six hits. The start raised his season ERA to 5.29 over 95.1 innings.

At the time, the Dodgers wanted to send him down for a reset.

“This is going to be a hit the reset button,” general manager Brandon Gomes said to reporters at the time. “Get back to basics, get the delivery dialed in like it was last year. He’s been battling it a lot of this year.

“We’ve seen flashes of really good, and then some inconsistency. So taking a step back, a deep breath — nobody obviously ever wants to be sent down, but I think this is an opportunity to hit the reset button, get him in a really good place and then make sure that he’s a weapon for us moving forward.”

He seemed to find his footing at the minor league level.

Sheehan made two starts for Triple-A OKC, allowing two runs over 6.1 innings with eight strikeouts. After a 22-pitch first outing, he had a dominant start for OKC last week, pitching 5.2 scoreless innings.

That was enough for LA to give Sheehan another chance at the big league level, especially with a taxed bullpen. Sheehan won't be going back to the starting rotation, though, as the team plans to use him as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen.

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