Los Angeles Dodgers elite relief pitcher Blake Treinen is on the 15-day injured list with a low-grade right forearm sprain. According to Sonja Chen of MLB.com, there is no timeline for his return.
He has not pitched since April 13th, and Los Angeles could be without their trusted reliever for an extended period.
This is tough news for the Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts, as Treinen has been one of the most effective bullpen arms in the league for over a decade and has dominated in his five-year stint with Los Angeles.
Since joining the team for the 2020 season, Treinen is 17-14 with a 2.34 ERA and a 3.03 FIP over 162 games and 157 and 2/3 innings of work. This includes an excellent 10.2-2.7 strikeout-to-walk ratio per nine innings.
Treinen has mostly been a durable Big Leaguer, but he did miss all of 2023 while recovering from labrum and rotator cuff surgeries. Plus, older players like the 36-year-old Treinen generally have a harder time recovering from injuries.
In the meantime, the Dodgers have an abundance of arms to fill Treinen’s hole. Tanner Scott has been elite as the closer. Rookie Jack Dreyer looks like the next stud arm for Roberts. Alex Vesia, Kirby Yates, and Evan Phillips are also having strong starts to the season, regardless of a small sample size
So, while Treinen is invaluable to this unit and will eventually make for a huge addition, Los Angeles is well-equipped to handle this loss. There is no need to rush Treinen back and risk further damage to his throwing arm, as the Dodgers will need him healthy during the more crucial months of the season.
