TODAY: The Dodgers confirmed that Hudson suffered a torn ACL, and placed the righty on the injured list. Right-hander Mitch White was called up from Triple-A and infielder Hanser Alberto was activated from the paternity list, while outfielder Stefen Romero was designated for assignment.
Romero’s contract was selected earlier this week when Alberto went on the pat list. Unfortunately for Romero, his few days on the L.A. active roster didn’t result in any game time, so Romero still hasn’t officially appeared in an MLB game since the 2016 season. Since last playing with the Mariners in 2016, Romero performed well in five seasons in Japan.
JUNE 24: The Dodgers’ bullpen was dealt a massive blow Friday, as setup man Daniel Hudson was diagnosed with what is very likely a season-ending injury to the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, manager Dave Roberts announced to reporters after tonight’s game (Twitter link via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). Hudson will undergo an additional wave of testing to confirm the diagnosis, but the team believes he’s suffered a tear of the ligament. Hudson sustained the injury when he attempted to field a grounder but instead collapsed at the front of the mound.
Hudson’s loss is a gut-punch for a Dodgers club that will already be without right-hander Blake Treinen until after the All-Star break due to shoulder troubles. Hudson has stepped up and filled Treinen’s role as the team’s top setup option, pitching to a brilliant 2.22 ERA with a 30.9% strikeout rate against a 5.1% walk rate. He’s turned in a career-high 53.2% ground-ball rate as well, due in no small part to throwing his slider at a career-high 42.3% clip. A massive 80 percent of the sliders put into play against Hudson have been grounders so far this year.
The injury is extra difficult for Hudson due to the nature of his contract. The 35-year-old righty inked a one-year, $7MM contract with Los Angeles that contains a $6.5MM club option for the 2023 campaign. Based on how Hudson had pitched in the season’s first few months, that option looked like a lock to be picked up. Now, coming off a major knee injury, that seems considerably less likely. The contract also allowed Hudson to boost the value of that option based on his number of games finished, and with eight already under his belt, he had a decent chance of pumping up that option value a bit.
Even with Treinen out for much of the season, Dodgers relievers have still combined for a 3.40 ERA that ranks ninth in the Majors. They’ve been even better by measure of FIP, ranking third in the game at 3.25 entering play Friday. Nevertheless, with Hudson out of the picture, the Los Angeles bullpen is now primarily composed of inexperienced arms with minimal big league track records.
Righty Evan Phillips has been brilliant in 2022 (1.95 ERA in 27 2/3 innings) but entered the season with a 6.68 ERA in 67 career frames. It’s a similar story with right-hander Yency Almonte. The Dodgers have again received strong results from righty Phil Bickford and lefty Alex Vesia, but each is only his second full big league season. Brusdar Graterol is having a fine season but doesn’t miss bats at the level one might expect for someone with his velocity. Former Cy Young winner David Price has been solid in a relief role this year, and former division rival Reyes Moronta has shown promise as he looks to reestablish himself after a pair of injury-ruined seasons.
That group all leads to multi-time All-Star Craig Kimbrel, who hasn’t gotten the results he or the Dodgers hoped for at the time of the trade that saw the Dodgers and White Sox swap AJ Pollock for Kimbrel. The 34-year-old Kimbrel fired a scoreless inning tonight and boasts a 33.3% strikeout rate against a 10.4% walk rate in 23innings. However, after a strong start to the season, Kimbrel has given up runs in eight of his past 15 appearances. Tonight’s outing dropped his ERA to 4.30, and it should be pointed out that he’s currently plagued by a sky-high .404 average on balls in play (despite a very low 30.9% hard-hit rate). Kimbrel is probably due for some positive regression, but with him in something of a slump and the team’s top two setup options derailed by injury, the bullpen appears more questionable than expected.
Of course, this year’s Aug. 2 trade deadline is still more than five weeks away, so the Dodgers will have no shortage of time to address the issue, should they see fit. And with Walker Buehler, Andrew Heaney and Dustin May all currently on the injured list, the Dodgers could also be on the lookout for rotation reinforcements once the trade market heats up, too.
Horrible poor guy
No Treinen, Kimbrel being washed up, and now no Hudson… Not good for the Boys in Blue
Kimberl has still been league average and has a 2.21 FIP. There are a lot worse arms to have than him even if he isn’t peak Craig
who do they buy?
David Robertson?
Completely agree he needs to be their target. Not just to replace Hudson – they need someone to replace Kimbrel when Treinen comes back. Kimbrel’s high wire act can’t continue for the rest of the season.
You better give us bellinger and his contract . Heyward us almost over we need another bad contract
Rangers have some respectable relief arms that the Dodgers could get for a lottery ticket (Jose Leclerc, Brett Martin, the recently DFA-ed Spencer Patton, Josh Sborz) or a higher leverage arm if they were willing to part with a prospect that is a bit more significant (Matt Bush, John King).
The emergence of Joe Barlow, Dennis Santana, Brock Burke, Matt Moore as their core, plus the pending return of Jonathan Hernandez for the Rangers pen gives them depth to deal from.
Respectable relievers aren’t exactly a dime a dozen but they aren’t much more than a buck a bunch. If only respectable is what was needed to replace Treinen and now Hudson. May could give them breathing room but he’s aways off. Scott Barlow from the Royals, or Fulmer from the Tigers, maybe?
Fulmer will be available since he’s a pending free agent. He’ll be traded somewhere and the Dodgers will likely be inquiring.
Like, today, is my guess.
While we’re on the subject, wtf happened to bickford this season?!
Bickford is who he is, more of a thrower than a pitcher. He didn’t turn golden just from being touched by the hand of Andrew Friedman.
Most likely need a starter for starts
Id love to get Mahle and Pham from Cincy tho they might have reservations trading with us nowadays
A pen piece will be added but none as significant as the potential returns of Trienan May and Buehler who I think will work outta the pen if he even returns
Going to need some {more} unsung hero’s to step up till Sept comes and help gets here via roster expansion and health – Mitch White and Graterol come to mind as 2 players that could help a ton in these next 2 months. There going to need some length as well, it’d be nice to see guys like Bickford and Price (both ex starters) go 2 inns sometimes when the games in hand. Roberts just doesn’t seem comfortable with that idea it seems tho to date; maybe it being 100% necessary now changes that
Tyler Mahle is trash
G-15
W-L 2-6
ERA-4.57
WHIP-1.31
Why would a team with championship hopes want that on their roster? & Pham wouldn’t play in that clubhouse.
Mahle was a 5 war player last year
Reminds me of the anti Pivetta crowd in Philly years ago that couldn’t see beyond the surface stats
The Dodgers would love to get there hands on him trust me . It be expensive tho
Dig Deeper
Pham is a cancer, why do you think he’s been in 4 organizations already even with respectable numbers and good def. He is short tempered literally gets in fights on and off the field.
Yea that seems like Puig 2.0
I’m not sure though. Right now we have Kershaw, Julio, Gonsolin, Anderson, and that 5th spot. As much as I’m not thrilled with the idea I can see Friedman/roberts either cobble together bullpen games, Mitch white games, maybe some pepiot in there. I’m not sure that May will be back in starting capacity before September but it feels like we have enough starting options to get by.
I’m more worried about the pen. Kimbrel has been trash, relatively speaking, graterol still gets shaky – he feels like he needs a permanent role, Hudson gone, and I don’t know wtf happened to bickford but I don’t trust him AT ALL anymore
Your mom.
Alex Colome?
Dodgers have had such a brutal run of injuries, hopefully they’re active at the deadline
UCL tears are just part of the job but an ACL tear is just bad luck. I feel bad for Hudson.
Feel bad for Hudson, don’t feel bad for Dodgers.
What do you do for a living Mr. Your Team?
I picture you saying that with your arms crossed and completely pouting
That was tough to watch. A painful bummer.
yeah it was a collapse and obviously severe injury. not something you hope for.
Yep, I was watching that game and right away could see that he’d busted his ACL.
One of the worst stories in 2022, hate them in baseball. 35 and pitching great.
I think the injury wave a definitely begun.
Seems like ACL injuries are on the rise, although not sure why.
I was shocked that the Dodgers chose to go with Kimbrell as their primary closer this year. He has been way too erratic over the past 3+ full seasons to depend on him for a 162 game schedule. This latest injury to Hudson really puts the Dodgers in a tough spot; it looks like they are going to have to buy someone at the trade deadline to keep their hopes for a division title alive. They really should have spent the money on keeping Scherzer this year vs. taking on that overpriced Kimbrell deal and the other one year deals Friedman chose over Max. With their offense taking a step back, the Dodgers no longer look like world beaters anymore. The Padres look to be the favorites to win the NL West right now, especially with their rotation depth and Tatis due to come back in the next month or so. The Dodgers will need to do something substantial at the trade deadline to separate themselves from the Padres, Mets and maybe even the Braves should Atlanta continues to play this well. While injuries have taken a major toll on this year’s team, they have also exposed the lack of depth on their 40 man roster. In years past, when a starter went down it seemed like LA had a plug and play fill in (oftentimes more than 1) and they wouldn’t skip a beat. That’s no longer a strength for them so they are being forced to look outside the organization (via wire claims, etc.) to fill in their gaps. Given the size of their payroll and Friedman’s history of building a deep team, this is unexpected by a lot of people but they still are a top 3-4 NL team and a few shrewd moves at the trade deadline can get them back on track for a championship run.
When a starter goes down is one thing, when 2-3 starters (Heaney, Buehler, May, Bauer and Kershaw) and 3 relievers (Hudson, Treinen, Kahnle) go down, that’s another thing. No one, not even past Dodger teams can withstand that.
and yet the team keeps winning. and the pitching hasn’t been the problem its the run production and automatic outs of Muncy, Cody, JT et al.
We did not want Pollocks 10 mill interfering with payroll next year or Gavin Lux this year. It was the right call
.They were blowing past the CBT anyways this year so taking on a couple extra mill meant nothing..
Much like the Kemp /ATL trade years ago this was mostly ledger gymnastics
* I don’t trust Kimbrel for beans {in a big moment} but he’s kept the temperature down so far well enough in saves opps
**IF May Trienan and Buehler can get back I don’t suspect they will flinch in Sept to downgrade/demote Kimbrel if he’s not doing well similar to last year. Almonte Graterol and Phillips are only seeming to get better as well .
No, the Dodgers are still the best team in the NL by a decent margin. Run differential is 2x as much as the next team and they’re 0-5 in that fluky runner on 2nd extra innings.
Multiple injuries plus Kershaw is healthy right now only and Kimbrell is looking suspect. Yep. “Tough spot” indeed. Tough because the rest of MLB sees it. Because of this, not Friedman, but the other GMs willing to listen to deals are the ones in position to be “shrewd”. Yes? No? Maybe? So give up prospects, promote from within, a mix of both? Good luck Mr. Friedman. Heart goes out to Daniel H. Can’t even imagine. Speedy recovery!
I think he made it worse by trying to walk it off the mound.
A torn ACL has already happened and can’t be made worse by walking off the mound.; like an Achilles, either it happens or it doesn’t. What happens after is pretty irrelevant.
Pretty sad when your Closer is your worst Reliever
Ah, yes because the Red Sox have a had a consistent 9th inning his year.
The Sox bullpen up until the last month had been terrible all around. The Dodgers specifically traded a player they now find themselves needing for one they really don’t
Even with Kimbrel’s struggles, the Dodgers have statistically the best pitching staff in the NL. Also, Pollock has struggled just as bad as Kimbrel. They also have very good pitchers coming back this season, hopefully (May, Buehler, Treinen, Kahlne, Ferguson)
What stat exactly makes LAD the best?
Best Bullpens in MLB (2022) –
– Lowest ERA: HOU, NYY, TB, ATL, CLE, BAL
– Lowest OBA: CLE, NYY, HOU, DET(!), SD
– MIL has the highest save pct (77%)
– ATL has the highest SO/9
What stat is it?
I said best pitching staff, meaning starters included
The Dodgers do have the best pitching staff in the NL by ERA, WHIP and BAA. This is one of those places where you might try to respond to the statement actually being made, not a different one.
I’m a Giants fan, so it hurts me to say it, but the Dodgers do have the best staff by ERA+, and by a good margin. LA has a 147 ERA+, and the number 2 Yankees have a 129 ERA+.
Tough loss but relief pitching is not hars to find. Almonte and Phillips have been nasty this season and were both acquired for nothing. Friedman will get it done
Yeah, agreed. Spending money on bullpen is not worth it. I think you get a couple of established guys and surround them with much cheaper options. Problem for the Dodgers is that the three established guys are Kimbrel, Treinen and Hudson. Two are injured and the other struggling. Bullpen is a big question mark especially for the Dodgers who rely on bullpen so much. We’ll also see how much mean reversion we’ll see from starters like Anderson, Gonsolin and older Kershaw who is also an injury risk.
if the dodgers are willing to pay deally the angels have a few late inning relief pitchers.
Don’t the Dodgers have Dellin Betances in the minors?
Is Blake Treinen coming back this season? Also, how about Kahnle? If they can get either of those guys back on top of hopefully a healthy Buehler and Dustin May, the Dodgers will be okay. The question remains whether or not their offense will be good enough when they get into the playoffs and face better starting pitching. They have to be concerned with how poorly Muncy, Justin Turner and Bellinger are performing at the plate. Mookie, Freeman and Tre Turner can’t carry the entire offense. Taylor needs to get hot and at least one of the three mentioned above have to start performing for the Dodgers to win it all.
Treinen, Kahnle, Buehler, May won’t be back for a while. Kahnle was getting rocked before injury. Buehler also not his usual self. Dodgers in trouble.
Offense is very misleading as they have too many games with paltry production, sometimes bailed out by superior pitching. And then they have games with big production. Offense needs more consistency especially with a depleted pitching staff. Dodgers will be severely tested, and this could be the season that the playoff run is over. Depth not as good and with all the injuries the depth is worse. Look at the bench lack of quality now.
Maybe the Pirates can trade Bednar to LA and got another stud like Oneil Cruz, who was acquired when the Dodgers traded for Tony Watson.
Maybe the Pirates are smart enough not to trade one of the top three relievers in the game and with multi years of control and from the Pittsburgh area for an A level player five years away from the major leagues.
Trade cubs for David Robertson and you can also pick up a starter in miley or smyly or stroman. They will all be back soon and will show you what they have before the deadline. Robertson asking price is higher since he is the best closer available
Sad for Hudson, he’s been so good late in his career, when healthy. Dodgers will be fine though, as bullpens are pliable and they will no doubt fill the void. Rival Padres have had similar revolving door in pen, and are still awaiting return of 5 key players. So it goes.
Ohh nooooo. I’m sure the dodgers will never financially recover from this
“Former Cy Young winner David Price has been solid in a relief role this year”
No he hasn’t
Lol I thought the same thing when i read that. He’s been the not so solid mop up man.
I guess if your benchmark for solid is anything better than what Jeurys Familia has given the Phillies, Price would qualify.
The Dodgers will do what they have been doing for the last decade. Find some pitcher that another team has given up on, bring him in and teach him how to maximize whatever pitching talent he has. This year they have done it with Anderson who prior to this season was a journeyman, this year he’s 8-0 and ERA around 2.50 all year.
Heany last season had the highest HR rate in baseball. This season when healthy he is 3-1 with a 0.59 ERA.
Evan Phillips has a career ERA of almost 7.00. For the Dodgers his ERA is below 2.00.
Almonte has a career ERA of over 5.00 for the dodgers has ERA is 0.98.
Vesia had a career ERA of over 18.00 with the Marlins, now has an ERA around 3.00 with Dodgers
Raisel Iglesias. Take his contract off the Angels hands. Angels aren’t going anywhere anyways and Iglesias could be super helpful for the Dodgers given all the injuries.
Just give the Angels a prospect in the 5-15 range.
That’s an excellent idea. Once Treinen returns you make Iglesias the closer and just eat the rest of Kimbrel’s contract and cut him loose.
OUCH
Bummer