Dodgers’ Buehler bound for Triple-A rehab stint

Walker Buehler‘s impending return is becoming more real. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Thursday that Buehler, in the late stages of his recovery from a second Tommy John surgery, will begin a rehab assignment before the end of the week and still has enough time to return as a starting pitcher before the end of the regular season, though not in the traditional sense.

Buehler will pitch one to two innings for the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City on Sunday and will make at least three rehab starts before re-joining the Dodgers’ rotation, making Sept. 18 the absolute earliest he could be back. That wouldn’t leave Buehler with enough time to be stretched out into the five- or six-inning range. Instead, he’d probably go through opposing lineups only one or two times and then somebody else would provide bulk innings behind him, a role that could extend into the postseason. Buehler returning as a reliever is not an option, Roberts said.

The Dodgers’ rotation has been decimated by injuries all year, with all of their original starters going on the injured list at one point or another. Tony Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery) and Dustin May (flexor tendon surgery) have been lost for the year, but Clayton Kershaw and Julio Urias are currently healthy, Lance Lynn has provided a boost since coming over from the Chicago White Sox, and Bobby Miller has been solid in his rookie season. With August winding down, the Dodgers boast the second-best starters’ ERA in the majors this month, a drastic turnaround from where they were through the end of July.

Buehler, however, can take them to another level if he can somehow recapture the dominance he displayed before suffering the latest tear to his ulnar collateral ligament. Buehler, 29, is a little more than 12 months removed from surgery and has been facing hitters at the team’s Arizona Complex League throughout August. He was 39-13 with a 2.82 ERA in 564 regular-season innings from 2018 to 2021 and also dominated in several key postseason starts during that stretch.