Dodgers’ Star Yoshinobu Yamamoto Suffers Strained Rotator Cuff

The injury bug continues to bite the Los Angeles Dodgers. Just this weekend, the powerhouse team saw star Mookie Betts go down with a fractured hand and ace starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a strained rotator cuff. Betts will be out for an extended time, but the injury isn’t expected to be season-ending. As for Yamamoto, he heads to the injured list to deal with his injury. Like Betts, Yamamoto’s injury is not considered season-ending.

The Dodgers starter left his start on Saturday after just two innings after feeling tightness in his triceps. He had felt a little sore prior to the game, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said it wasn’t anything too serious. Yamamoto was originally supposed to pitch on Thursday against the Texas Rangers but had his start pushed back to Saturday.

“He felt some soreness after his last start, and we pushed him back,” Roberts said. “During a season, pitchers are always going to be sore, but he said he felt good enough to go. We wouldn’t pitch him if we felt he was going to put himself in harm’s way.

His four-seam fastball velocity was down to around 93-96 mph, a significant drop from his normal range. He looked off during his two innings, so it wasn’t surprising that an injury was present.

This is a significant blow to the Dodgers’ starting rotation, as Yamamoto has been excellent for the team through his rookie season. He has especially been effective of late, allowing just one earned run across three starts in June. Yamamoto has lived up to his record 12-year, $325 million free agent contract that he signed with Los Angeles over the offseason. He holds a record of 6-2 through the year, with an ERA of 2.92. He has struck out 84 batters over 74.0 innings of work as well.

The rookie right-hander had been coming into his own, so this was an unfortunate setback for him. He will likely be out for an extended time, and the Dodgers will have to find a way to manage without him. The team is already without the services of left-hander Clayton Kershaw, right-hander Tony Gonsolin, and right Dustin May. Luckily for Los Angeles, right-hander Bobby Miller is expected to come back this week after being out with an injury since early May. For now, the Dodgers will wish for the best, and hopefully, we will see Yamamoto back out on the mound sooner rather than later.