LOS ANGELES — After throwing 106 pitches in a June 7 game against the Yankees, Yoshinobu Yamamoto reported pain and tightness around his right right triceps.
With that information in mind, the Dodgers decided to postpone Yamamoto’s next start from Thursday to Saturday, hoping that a few days off would help the right-hander feel better again. Unfortunately for the Dodgers and Yamamoto, that plan didn’t work out as expected.
Yamamoto complained of further discomfort after pitching two innings and left the mound during the Dodgers’ game against the Royals at Dodger Stadium. The team said his injury was a right triceps strain.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Yamamoto would undergo further testing on Sunday and that it was “likely” he would be placed on the disabled list, even if only as a precaution.
“I felt it a few days ago, but today the tightness was gone and my triceps became tight during the match,” Yamamoto said through interpreter Yoshihiro Sonoda.
The Japanese rookie said he felt tightness in his triceps while warming up for the game, and that he had informed his coaches, but added that he was confident he would be a regular player despite the discomfort.
Roberts said he held off Yamamoto because he knew he’d been in pain all week, and if he’d been in more pain heading into Saturday, the Dodgers would have decided not to use the 25-year-old.
“If we felt he could be at risk, we wouldn’t put him on the mound,” Roberts said. “There have been a few times in my time here where a starting pitcher just wasn’t ready to pitch that day and had to make up for it with the first pitch. That wasn’t the case this time.” [Saturday]From my understanding, yes. I will speak to Yoshinobu directly to ensure we have accurate communication, but again, I have never put any players out there who could potentially get injured.”
Yamamoto’s problems began in his last appearance at Yankee Stadium, when he threw 19 four-seam fastballs, his fastest pitch, consistently at 97-98 mph, and 13 sliders against New York, the most in a major league game.
Yamamoto had lengthy on-field discussions that week with trainers, coaches, general manager Brandon Gomez and even his agent, Joel Wolf, and all parties involved decided that Yamamoto would pitch on Saturday instead of Thursday.
But from the start of the game against the Royals, it was clear Yamamoto wasn’t at his best: His four-seam fastball was 1.4 mph slower than his season average, and his curveball and splitball were suffering from reduced velocity and spin.
Yamamoto’s final pitch of the day was a 93.3 mph four-seam fastball. After the second inning, SportsNet LA cameras captured pitching coach Mark Pryor running over to Roberts to tell him to get into the tunnel. Roberts said that’s when he realized how much discomfort Yamamoto was in.
“I was surprised,” Roberts said. “He’s been very durable throughout his pro career. I think we’ve done a very good job managing usage and days. Yes, I was very surprised. Again, [we knew] He was going to pitch two innings and wouldn’t have started tonight.”
The initial diagnosis of a triceps injury may be good news given Yamamoto’s abrupt departure from the game and his declining velocity, but neither Yamamoto nor Roberts are ruling out the possibility of other injuries until he is examined by team doctors on Sunday.
“Until we have more information, that’s how he feels and right now we’re just going by what he says and what he feels,” Roberts said. “Obviously, we’re going to get the doctors involved and find out if there’s anything more to it.”
Yamamoto’s extended absence would be a major blow to the Dodgers’ starting rotation. The team acquired him this winter for $325 million and is coming off a strong rookie season, posting a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts. The Dodgers already have starters Clayton Kershaw and Bobby Miller on the disabled list, but Miller is scheduled to return next week against the Rockies at Coors Field.
Going forward, at least in the short term, he will likely replace Yamamoto in the rotation.
“My last match was not directly related to this tightness, and I’m in the process of recovering this week,” Yamamoto said. “I’ll do some more tests, but the actual feeling is not that bad.”
