Edwin Díaz took an important first step in his return to the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic first reported that Díaz threw a bullpen session on Friday at Dodger Stadium as the hard-throwing righty looks to make his way back to the Dodgers' bullpen.
The Dodgers signed Díaz to a three-year, $69 million deal in the offseason after spending the last six seasons with the New York Mets. Díaz, however, struggled at the onset of his Dodgers tenure, logging a 10.50 ERA over his first seven appearances.
Los Angeles wound up placing the 32-year-old on the injured list on April 20 to undergo surgery to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. The Dodgers are hoping that he could return by the second half of the season.
Aside from his injury, Díaz also faced some off the field controversy when it was reported that he was linked to illegal cockfighting in Puerto Rico. Major League Baseball, however, has not publicly announced any plans to discipline Díaz.
Despite losing Díaz less than a month into the season, the Dodgers bullpen has filled in nicely during his absence. Lefty reliever Tanner Scott, who was brought in last year to be the closer, has a 2.32 ERA with nine saves over 31 innings pitched this season.
Fellow left-hander Alex Vesia has also pitched well as an alternative closer for the Dodgers, logging a 2.59 ERA. Vesia registered his third save of the season on Thursday that secured a three-game series sweep against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Dodgers' bullpen enters Friday with the 12th-best ERA in the major leagues at 3.72.
With Díaz taking this first encouraging step of his rehab, the Dodgers' bullpen could get a huge boost ahead of the second half of the season in their quest to win their third straight World Series title.
The Dodgers begin a three-game series on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles.
