Dodgers' Walker Buehler Puts on Strong Performance in Second Triple-A Start

Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler continued progressing during rehab with a dominant outing on Saturday night with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

The right-hander retired the first nine batters he faced, allowing two hits with no runs or walks while striking out six over 4 2/3 innings. He finished the night throwing 65 pitches with 42 strikes.

The Dodgers and Buehler don't have a firm tabletable for his return to Los Angeles but he is expected to make at least one more rehab start, either with Oklahoma City or Rancho Cucamonga. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues since June 10, 2022, and underwent his second Tommy John surgery and flexor tendon repair shortly thereafter.

“People don’t really understand. You can come back from Tommy John in 12 or 14 months, but I think it’s not really there until 18, 24 months,” Buehler said early in Spring Training. “I experienced that with my first one, and this one is no different in that once I started playing catch again, I felt way better and just smoother and better.”

The Dodgers have been slowly ramping up Buehler's workload throughout the spring. They want him healthy for the playoffs and don't mind him getting a late start. Manager Dave Roberts would like him to throw 90 pitches in a start before returning to the rotation.

“He was our guy, and he has pitched big in big games,” Roberts said of Buehler in the spring. "Yeah, there were some other names we talked about this winter that we acquired, so certainly there’s a personal expectation, and you want to be the guy. Walker wants to be the guy, for sure.”

At this point, it's a matter of when Buehler returns instead of if. His fastball is reportedly sitting around 95 mph and he is bouncing back between starts – all good signs that he is returning to his pre-surgery self.