The back-to-back defending World Series champions sustained a significant blow to their bullpen on Monday with the loss of closer Edwin Díaz to elbow surgery, a procedure that will sideline the three-time All-Star indefinitely.
“Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Edwin Díaz will have surgery on Wednesday to remove loose bodies from his elbow,” the club announced on Monday. “He is expected to return during the second half of the season.”
Alden Gonzales of ESPN reports that Díaz is expected to miss around three months of the season, a timeline that lines up with Los Angeles's second-half return prognosis.
Díaz, a one-time Mariano Rivera American League Reliever of the Year with the Mariners and a two-time Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year with the Mets, signed a three-year, $69 million deal to be the Dodgers' new closer back in December, just a month after the club had captured its second straight world championship.
Díaz was brought in to help address a relief corps that struggled mightily in the 2025 regular season, despite hefty financial investments.
The 32-year-old righthander began the season with saves in each of his first four opportunities, with the signing seemingly providing immediate dividends for the Dodgers. However, it quickly became apparent that something was off. His fastball velocity, which had hovered around 97 mph in each of the last two seasons, had curiously dipped to 95.7 mph.
After Díaz blew his first save of the season on April 10 while surrendering three earned runs to the Rangers, the Dodgers said they were exploring the curious dip in velocity, as well as the All-Star's struggles with command and location. He had yielded five hits and two walks in consecutive appearances after permitting just two walks and one hit through his first four appearances combined. According to MLB.com, Díaz himself spoke of the lack of zip on his heater and command in his slider, his best putaway pitch.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on April 12 downplayed any injury concerns, but noted he wouldn't be calling Díaz’s name out of the bullpen as the veteran continued to work through his struggles. Because he had experienced slight nosedives in velocity early in the year before, the Dodgers were evidently hopeful this was more of the same.
But when Díaz again allowed three earned runs to the Rockies in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday's 9-6 loss, it became evident that something was not right physically.
Who will be Dodgers' closer after Díaz’s injury?
Roberts, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, reportedly declined to name a replacement closer for Díaz, which makes perfect sense. While Los Angeles will be hard-pressed to replace him, they do have a few highly capable options in-house.
LHP Tanner Scott
Scott was last season's high-priced free agent addition to the bullpen, as the Dodgers inked the ex-Padres southpaw to a four-year, $72 million deal. While Scott struggled mightily in an injury-riddled debut season in Los Angeles, he is off to a much better start in 2026, pitching to a 1.04 ERA and eight strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings. Scott has 78 career saves and boasts the second-most ninth inning experience of any Dodgers reliever other than Díaz. Scott has yet to log a save in '26, but that is probably about to change.
LHP Alex Vesia
Vesia is the only Dodgers reliever other than Díaz to record a save this year so far, as he has two. The southpaw is also firmly in the Roberts circle of trust at the moment, having yet to surrender an earned run in 8 2/3 innings while posting 10 strikeouts compared to just three walks. While Vesia lacks the extensive closing experience of the next player on this list, the ninth inning is still a job that he's handled during his six seasons with the club. It's a role he is going to be asked to fill once again.
RHP Blake Treinen
Treinen isn't off to the finest start this season, with a 4.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings. In fact, Treinen hasn't looked like the best version of himself since 2024. But that doesn't mean he should be discounted for the closer role. With 82 career saves, he's the most experienced closer in the Dodgers' pen besides Díaz. He's also a righthander, whereas Scott and Vesia are both southpaws. Don't expect Treinen to be the first name Roberts calls, but he could still hear his name called in the aftermath of the Díaz injury.
Could 2025 postseason closer Rōki Sasaki return to the bullpen?
The short answer is no. Dodgers pitching coordinator Brandon Gomes was asked that very question and told reporters that Sasaki would not be doing so, according to Dodgers beat writer Bill Plunkett. There was some speculation that Sasaki, who had three saves and made some key relief pitching appearances during the club's World Series run in 2025, could return to the bullpen amid an uneven beginning to the year as a starting pitcher. That won't be the case.
How Dodgers are likely to handle closer role
The Dodgers will likely go with a committee approach at closer, with Roberts playing the platoon matchups with Scott, Vesia and Treinen.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Dodgers Could Handle Closer Role After Edwin Díaz's Elbow Injury.
