The Los Angeles Dodgers are placing star reliever Edwin Díaz on the injured list, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.
The exact nature of Díaz's injury is not yet known. The team believes it's an upper-body injury and is unrelated to his elbow, sources told Woo.
Díaz underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow in April and then missed over three months. Since returning from that IL stint July 29, the 32-year-old owns a 15.88 ERA with three blown saves and nearly as many strikeouts (seven) as he has walks (five) over 5 2/3 innings.
On Monday at Coors Field, Díaz entered an 11-2 game in the ninth inning and proceeded to allow three runs on four hits with no strikeouts before finally finishing off the lowly Colorado Rockies. His velocity was generally diminished during the outing.
Díaz shocked the baseball world by joining the Dodgers on a three-year, $69-million deal last winter. But the three-time Reliever of the Year winner has looked nothing like the bullpen anchor L.A. envisioned, instead sporting a 11.85 ERA and 2.56 WHIP along with 19 strikeouts, 10 walks, and four blown saves.
Left-hander Tanner Scott will presumably return to ninth-inning duties going forward. Scott stepped up as a reliable closer for the Dodgers after Díaz's prior injury, tallying 16 saves along with a 2.20 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, and 62 strikeouts over 49 innings this year.
Los Angeles will recall right-hander Emmet Sheehan from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding roster move, according to Woo. Sheehan, who's made 20 starts in the majors this year, will work in relief going forward.
