Yoshinobu Yamamoto will rejoin the Los Angeles Dodgers’ rotation next week after missing almost three months due to a right arm injury.
Yamamoto is scheduled to start on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium against the Chicago Cubs, as announced by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Wednesday.
The $325 million pitcher has recently made two rehab starts for Triple-A Oklahoma City. With the Dodgers needing to see if Yamamoto can help them as they push for a World Series, they’re not waiting any longer to find out.
“I think the stuff will be there,” Roberts said. “I’m not sure about how the command is going to be, so I think the way we’re looking at it is we’re going to get four starts from him (before the playoffs), and if we can log four starts and build up volume, we’ll be ready to go beyond that.”
Yamamoto, 26, has been on the injured list since June 16 due to what the Dodgers initially called a right triceps injury. Roberts had earlier mentioned that the injury also involved a rotator cuff strain.
Before the injury, Yamamoto was having a strong first season in the majors, with a 6-2 record, a 2.92 ERA, and a 1.07 WHIP over 14 starts. However, he left a game against Kansas City after just two innings and was placed on the injured list the next day.
Yamamoto didn’t pitch for about a month and has been working on rebuilding his arm strength since then. He threw two innings for Oklahoma City last Tuesday night, using 53 pitches.
The Dodgers have the best record in the majors after their win against the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday night, marking their 12th victory in 15 games. However, their rotation still faces significant concerns this year following pitching injuries that impacted their 100-win season last fall.
