Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler will not return to the lineup in 2023, the team announced on Friday.

“Today, the Dodgers are announcing that right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler, who is recovering from Tommy John surgery, will not return during the 2023 season, with an eye toward coming back at the start of the 2024 campaign,” the statement read.

It's a brutal update for fans of the club, as there was some optimism that the 29-year-old Buehler may be able to return to the mound at some point this season.

“My goal since last year has been to return to a Major League mound this season,” Buehler wrote in the statement. “After many conversations with my doctor, the Dodgers' front office, training staff and my family, we concluded that waiting until next season is the right course of action.

“I am disappointed that I will not be able to help this team go after a title in the 2023 postseason, but I look forward to returning fully healthy in 2024 and bringing another World Series to L.A.”

The Kentucky native has been on the shelf for the entire season after recovering from a Tommy John procedure he underwent back in August of 2022.

Buehler made his first rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday, throwing two scoreless innings and giving Los Angeles fans hope that he would be rejoining the big-league club imminently. But it looks like the Dodgers are shifting their focus to getting the ace ready for the 2024 campaign.

Whether or not Walker Buehler will continue making minor-league starts in 2023 is unclear, but he will be watching from the dugout as the team looks to bring another World Series title to Los Angeles after an excellent campaign in the NL West.