The Los Angeles Dodgers suffered a noteworthy blow to their starting rotation Tuesday.
Right-hander Walker Buehler underwent his second-career Tommy John surgery, ending his 2022 campaign, both announced on the 28-year-old’s Instagram account and reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
“Tommy John Round 2 let’s roll,” Buehler captioned his Instagram post Tuesday. “See ya where I see ya @dodgers.”
The 28-year-old veteran of six seasons first underwent Tommy John surgery back in 2016 when he was initially drafted by the Dodgers. However, after round two where Buehler also underwent repair of a flexor tendon, the right-hander will also likely miss a significant portion of the 2023 season.
Buehler last pitched for the Dodgers on Jun. 10 against the division-rival San Francisco Giants amid an overall struggling season for the starter. He finishes his season going 6-3 with a 4.02 ERA in 12 games — the second lowest of his career — and 65 total innings pitched.
In 11 postseason starts, Buehler has gone 3-3 with a 2.94 ERA in 15 appearances and 79 2/3 total innings.
The Dodgers lose a major league-quality starter with four seasons of playoff experience amid a dominant season for LA — currently sitting atop the National League West division, 17 1/2 games ahead of the second-place San Diego Padres, and lead the big leagues with 84 wins.
