Dodgers Reliever Making Positive Strides Towards LA Debut

Even a few weeks ago, the Dodgers bullpen wasn't considered to be an intimidating unit. The club lost Cory Knebel, Kenley Jansen, and Joe Kelly via free agency this season. That's three arms the team counted on. Replacing trusted, high usage relievers is never easy, but luckily, LA has the right man for the job.

Team president Andrew Friedman cobbled together a different bullpen that could still manage to be effective. The Dodgers shipped AJ Pollock to the White Sox in exchange for Craig Kimbrel. They should also get some arms back that missed all of last year due to injuries.

Including, Tommy Kahnle. After the 2020 season, the Dodgers signed him to a two-year deal after he underwent Tommy John surgery. The deal was a gamble since recovering from Tommy John is no cake walk. Some pitchers never return to form.

Kahnle is one step closer to making his Dodgers debut. This week, Kahnle pitched in a Single-A game at Rancho Cucamonga. He needed just eight pitches to complete an inning of work. He allowed just one hit, a double, induced two flyouts, and forced a groundout to end the inning.

This spring, Kahnle pitched in just two games. Against the Angels, he struck out two and threw 15 of his 18 pitches for strikes. According to manager Dave Roberts, Kahnle should be back around the end of April.

He should provide Roberts and the Dodgers with another quality option in a bullpen that has a shot at being one of the better groups in the league.