Dodgers Injury News: Corey Knebel Out ‘Months’ According to Roberts
The injuries just keep stacking up for the Dodgers. In the middle of a rough stretch of ballgames, Los Angeles can’t seem to catch a break with keeping guys healthy. Now, they will add one more to the injured list on Saturday.
The Dodgers sent right-hander Corey Knebel to the injured list today after he was removed from the game last night with what was described as upper tricep pain. Knebel threw just 5 pitches before wincing in pain and coming out of the game.
Losing Knebel is a particularly huge blow for the Dodgers in their bullpen. Knebel had been pretty effective in his limited appearances, striking out batters at a rate of over 13 per 9 innings. He also locked down 2 saves in place of Kenley Jansen and was becoming a great option in the 9th inning.
He felt some uncomfortable sensation or something in his upper triceps. Obviously, as a pitcher, you feel something that isn’t normal, it’s a red flag. So he was smart enough to get out of there at that point in time. – Dave Roberts postgame Friday
On Saturday, Doc provided the update on Knebel which revealed a different injury.
There was an MRI …it’s more like his lat … he’s gonna go on the IL. It’s gonna be a few month looking out — I can’t speak specific to the timeline because I just don’t know. Our hope, our expectation is that he will pitch again for us this year
Knebel was acquired by the Dodgers this offseason and was proving to be a steal by Andrew Friedman. He joins bullpen mates Tony Gonsolin and Joe Kelly on the injured list. There are currently no timetables for either of those guys to return.
From the sounds of it, Knebel could be out for quite some time. Dave Roberts did say that he would pitch again this season, but that the injury was serious.
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Thankfully, there doesn’t appear to be any tears, so surgery is not an option at the moment. Roberts expects the reliever to rehab and make his way back to the club later in the season.
In his place, the Dodgers have called up Garret Cleavinger from the alternate location. He will add some depth to the bullpen.
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Out months [if not the full year] is what I figured when I saw the injury. We need Graterol effective and Gonsolin back. Not sure what the Graterol deal was, my projection from available clues was he came to camp way overweight and out of shape, and needed an extra month before they would even let him throw a ball. Mitch White? That guy gets injured if he throws 10 pitches. Kelly? A rare Friedman mistake from the day it was announced. David Price needs to be evaluated as a high leverage guy. Treinen? I thought he was mediocre last year, certainly worse than Jansen, but everybody wanted him back and Jansen released. He hasn’t looked very good this year either. But in the long run, not worried, if the guys they have can’t be pieced into a top flight relief core, they have all the chips they need to barter for a premium guy or two if needed.