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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, out since the middle of June with a shoulder injury, will make his long-awaited return to the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ rotation Tuesday, for a home game against the Chicago Cubs.
The Dodgers decided to bring Yamamoto back after he made only two Triple-A rehab starts, the last of which saw him record just six outs but also throw 53 pitches. Yamamoto probably won’t be stretched out to more than four innings when he returns to the major leagues, but he’ll have four starts to prepare himself for October.
“I think the stuff will be there,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said prior to Wednesday night’s game at Angel Stadium. “I’m not sure about how the command is going to be.”
Yamamoto’s return comes with the Dodgers’ rotation in continual flux, with Jack Flaherty seemingly the only lock to start postseason games at the moment. Rookie right-hander Gavin Stone also could earn a spot if others don’t progress accordingly.
Tyler Glasnow hasn’t pitched since Aug. 11 because of elbow tendinitis, though he is expected to start throwing bullpen sessions again this weekend. Clayton Kershaw returned to the injured list Saturday because of a bone spur in his left big toe. Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller have struggled throughout the year, though Buehler has displayed positive signs of late.
But the biggest uncertainty is Yamamoto, who was signed out of Japan this offseason to a 12-year, $325 million contract — the largest deal ever obtained by a starting pitcher — but has missed close to three months with what has been described as a rotator cuff strain.
The 26-year-old right-hander was 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA before being sidelined, striking out 84 batters in 74 innings. His last full start, inside a sold-out Yankee Stadium, saw him twirl seven scoreless innings while throwing harder than he ever had in the major leagues. The Dodgers initially marveled at that start, but outside evaluators have expressed concern that throwing at those velocities and, perhaps more to the point, mixing in sliders might have prompted Yamamoto’s injury.
“I think we’re in a wait-and-see,” Roberts said when asked if he’s hesitant to have Yamamoto throw sliders. “Build him up, and he’s going to do whatever he can to get hitters out, whatever the scouting report says. I just don’t know what the slider usage is going to be.”