Dodgers GM Doesn’t Seem As Confident in Walker Buehler Return This Year

With the MLB trade deadline a few days away, the Los Angeles Dodgers still have a need on the pitching staff. While they might be less inclined to hit the trade market after acquiring Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly on Friday. There's still a clear need in their starting rotation, as it has been very uncharacteristically poor this season.

LA needs quality pitchers who can go five or six innings without giving up too many runs. They have one of the best offenses in baseball, but they can’t keep trying to pull out slugfests for the rest of the season.

Julio Urias and Tony Gonsolin were Cy Young candidates last season and have struggled with inconsistency this season. Clayton Kershaw has missed the better part of a month with a shoulder issue.

The team will look on the market for help, but they could be getting some reinforcements from inside the organization.

Injured star Walker Buehler remains a candidate to return this season. He has been rehabbing from Tommy John Surgery, but the right-hander has spoken about his hope to pitch this season.

Dodgers General Manager Brandon Gomes confirmed this, saying Buehler could return this season.

“Right-hander Walker Buehler continues to make progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery and is “definitely a possibility” to return before the end of the season, General Manager Brandon Gomes said. …”

Per The OC Register

If the team could get Buehler back, it could provide a major boost to this rotation. While they wouldn’t exactly know what to expect from him, he has proven to be a big time pitcher in the playoffs.

Buehler has been one of the more clutch pitchers in baseball since he was called up to the big leagues in 2018. He is a star on the mound, and the Dodgers could use him the rest of the way.

Of course, Buehler needs to be fully healthy and cleared before anything happens. However, this is a good sign for his injury status. If we are lucky enough to see Buehler pitch again this season, it could provide a spark to the pitching staff that has been missing all year.