Dave Roberts didn’t need to raise his voice for the message to land. Standing in front of the media Tuesday before the Diamondbacks series, the Dodgers manager simply confirmed what the organization had been hoping to say for weeks: Edwin Diaz is back in Los Angeles, already playing catch at Dodger Stadium, and moving through his throwing program without apparent setbacks.
The All-Star reliever who signed the richest contract for a reliever in MLB history by AAV has been limited to seven appearances since Opening Day. Loose bodies in his elbow required surgery, and the absence has been felt every night the bullpen door opens without him.
“He is on his second set of back-to-backs,” Roberts said. “He’s at Dodger Stadium today and playing catch, so it’s coming along really well. Very encouraged.”
The update carries weight because the Dodgers’ relief group has been functional rather than dominant. The club is tied for 16th in saves with 14 on the season, and its six blown saves rank among the higher totals in the league, per Screwball. A recent three-run collapse by Tanner Scott against the Phillies served as a reminder of how quickly late-inning leads can evaporate when the margin for error shrinks.
Diaz’s return would immediately change the math. Roberts would gain another high-octane option in the most important moments, allowing him to push current high-leverage arms down a spot and create clearer roles across the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. That kind of depth pairs naturally with a six-man rotation that has largely held its ground. The combination gives the Dodgers a chance to weaponize the final third of games in a way few teams can match.
Roberts stopped short of any firm timeline. The original post-All-Star break target remains the safest assumption, but he refused to lock it in.
“Obviously, full recovery. Still don’t know when the time of return is,” Roberts said. “It’s easy, probably to assume it’s after the All-Star break, but I just have no idea.”
The early returns on Diaz’s recovery are the first real sign that the plan can still work. The stuff that made him one of the most feared closers in the game hasn’t been seen since those first seven outings. When it reappears, the entire late-inning hierarchy shifts.
