Spring is in the air, and starting pitcher Walker Buehler will start facing live batters again soon.
Both things are good. The latter is better because Buehler missed all of 2023 while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery.
“Friedman said Buehler will start facing hitters again at some point soon, but that his timeline hasn’t been determined.”
It isn’t likely that Buehler will begin the season healthy, but the Dodgers have a plan to limit his workload while he continues to heal.
He threw his first bullpen session at Camelback Ranch on Friday alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
The starting pitcher knows he isn’t prepping for Opening Day, but the Dodgers want him healthy by this summer but, most importantly, in October.
Buehler reiterated the timeline at DodgerFest, telling reporters that he’s feeling good and knows that he’s going to be delayed to start the season and will have an inning limit.
“I don’t think anyone has a timeline, but it’s fair to say it’s going to be a late start for the season for Walker,” manager Dave Roberts said. “But the rehab work looks great, and I expect Walker to have a heck of a year.”
The Dodgers haven’t officially put hard numbers on Buehler’s limit, but they could be somewhere around 150-175 innings and 24-27 starts.
In his last full regular season, 2021, he threw 20.2 innings over 33 starts.
Photo Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
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