LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers don’t expect to have their All-Star battery of Edwin Diaz and Will Smith shutting down games when the team returns from the All-Star break later in the week.
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Diaz has been out since April following surgery to remove loose bodies from his throwing elbow.
Smith, also a former three-time All Star, has been sidelined since the first week of June with neck soreness.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Sunday morning before the finale of a three-game series against the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks that there’s been slight improvement by Smith, but not enough to put him in their post-All Star plans.
“I still don’t see him doing anything that’s considerable in the sense of, you know, return to play,” Roberts said. “Hesitant to put any type of timeline on it, but certainly expect him back this year. Just have no idea when.”
Diaz had his first minor-league rehabilitation assignment with Class-A Ontario on Saturday night and the right-hander struck out two of the three batters he faced.
The Dodgers signed Díaz to a three-year, $69 million contract last December after he won his second NL Reliever of the Year award with the New York Mets. He surrendered just one run in his first five outings with the Dodgers, but then couldn’t get through an inning in his next two appearances, leading to his stay on the IL.
“I think the arm feels good, but there’s also a command of getting major-league hitters out,” Roberts said. “We’re going to make sure that he’s ready to go before we put him at the back end of a major-league game. I think that’s fair, not only to him, but to our ballclub.”
Roberts would not commit to Diaz returning during the nine-game road trip following the All-Star break, which concludes with three games against the Mets, where Diaz spent the previous six seasons.
“He’s got to be healthy and throwing the baseball the right way,” Roberts said. “Health is one thing, but also as a closer you’ve got to perform well.”
JULY HOT FOR TUCKER
Dodgers right fielder Kyle Tucker came into Sunday hitting .323 in July with an .820 OPS.
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He batted under. 250 in each of the first three months in his first season with the Dodgers, and his OPS dipped as low as .679 in June.
Tucker has a career OPS of .850.
“There’s a lot more hard contact,” Roberts said. “I think he’s taking really good at-bats, and so, yeah, I can recall even this last week four or five lineouts, hard balls. So yeah, I think he’s in a much better spot.”
BREAKING BAD
The Dodgers lost seven of nine going into the All-Star break last season and six of seven the year before, but rebounded to win the World Series each year.
The Dodgers lost the first two games of the series to the Diamondbacks by a combined score of 18-5, but Roberts didn’t seem overly concerned heading into the series finale.
“We haven’t played our best over the last few years, to be quite honest, going into the break,” Roberts said. “So, I think for me, it’s just focus on winning (Sunday) and get to this break and then come out playing good baseball.”
MADE THE CALL
As manager of the NL All-Star team, Roberts called Philadelphia Phillies left-hander Cristopher Sanchez on Sunday morning to inform him he’d be starting on Tuesday in Philadelphia.
“I think he deserves it,” Roberts said. “He’s a hometown ball player and the city of Philly will enjoy watching in support of him.”
The NL has had trouble rounding out its pitching staff of late.
Phillies right-hander Zack Wheeler declined to replace an injured pitcher because he felt disrespected for not making the original team, opening the door for Dodgers left-hander Justin Wrobleski to make the team.
“Cristopher said he was very grateful at a time where guys are not wanting to participate,” Roberts said. “This is a good thing and he’s very excited about pitching.”
UP NEXT
The Dodgers are off for the All-Star break until opening a three-game series at the Yankees on Friday. Dodgers (TBA) at Yankees (TBA), Friday, 4:05 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM
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