The Los Angeles Dodgers are continuing the push towards October, as the team is in prime position for the top spot in the National League. Some good news is never a bad thing, and the Dodgers certainly received a positive injury-related update. According to the The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya, rookie starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto threw a bullpen session Tuesday afternoon.
“Yoshinobu Yamamoto is throwing a bullpen session right now, his second time off a mound since going on the IL in June,” reported Ardaya via X, formerly Twitter.
Getting Yamamoto sooner rather than later would certainly help Los Angeles. Their starting pitching has struggled with both efficiency and injuries this year, and Yamamoto was one of the few steady aspects they had. So far, he has lived up to the 12-year contract he signed this past offseason to join the Dodgers. Getting him back would help in a lot of different ways at Chavez Ravine.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto could be co-ace for Dodgers
Even though the Dodgers aren't in as dire straits as they were just a few weeks ago, the starting pitching depth is never a bad thing to have. Longtime staff stalwart Clayton Kershaw finally made his return from injury recently, and the team traded for former Tigers starter Jack Flaherty at the trade deadline. The two of them, combined with the combination of rookie Gavin Stone and current ace Tyler Glasnow, have given the squad four mostly reliable starters, outside of injury concerns.
So, if Yamamoto can come back strong from injury and be the co-ace that their staff lacks, then things will be on the upswing in Hollywood. There are many reasons why the Japanese import received the richest contract for a pitcher ever (his $325 million was a million more than Yankees ace Gerrit Cole received in his current nine-year deal). His age is at the top of the list, as he is still in his mid-20s. Making it to free agency as a starting pitcher that young is practically unheard of. That is the main reason why so many deep-pocketed teams, like the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, were trying to ink the Orix Buffaloes ace.
Imagine a Dodgers rotation of Glasnow, Yamamoto, Flaherty, and Kershaw or Stone. That seems like a pretty tough foursome to face in any playoff series, right? That is the exact reason why Yamamoto, as well as Flaherty, Glasnow, and two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, were brought to Tinseltown. To bring home another championship to the seven World Series titles that reside at Dodger Stadium.
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