With Dodgers left-hander Hyun-Jin Ryu sidelined until at least the All-Star break with a groin tear, and with Dodgers ace Clayton Kershaw now out for (presumably) four to six weeks with left bicep tendonitis, the role of 23-year-old Dodgers top pitching prospect Walker Buehler just got real.

In fact, after his six no-hit innings on Friday night against the San Diego Padres at Estadio de Béisbol in Monterrey, Mexico, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters that the 6′-2″ / 175-pound Lexington, Kentucky native and Dodgers 2015 first-round draft pick out of Vanderbilt University would not be returning to the minor leagues and was up to stay.

“With respect to the fact of Ryu is out until after the All-Star break and the way Walker’s pitched, we expect Walker to pitch for us,” said Roberts.

To this point, Buehler, who underwent Tommy John surgery shortly after being drafted by the Dodgers on June 8, 2015, has been on a very strict pitch count and innings limit. In fact, he appeared on only two games this spring (one start) for a combined 4.0 innings pitched and made a grand total of 55 pitches, of which 37 were strikes. And though the former Commodore began the 2018 season at Triple-A Oklahoma City, he was called up to the Dodgers on April 23 and hasn’t pitched in a minor league game since.

During his two spring training outings, Buehler was consistently in the 98-MPH range with his fastball.
(Photo credit – Ron Cervenka)

What he has done is pitch three games with the Dodgers, allowing only two runs on 10 hits, while walking seven and striking out 19 over the 16.0 innings he has pitched thus far. That being said, Roberts’ once hard stance on Buehler’s innings limit has, out of necessity, eased up a little … for now, at least.

“Right now, the situation, at this level, we have to win baseball games,” Roberts said. “Give him a blow later and figure it out is something we have to think through. But we’re not approaching that limit right now.”

That “we’re not approaching that limit right now” thing means that Roberts, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, and general manager Farhan Zaidi no longer have a set, hard-and-fast number of innings for their young right-hander due to the loss of Ryu and Kershaw. What it doesn’t mean is that at some point this season, they will set an innings limit on Buehler to save some of his bullets for a (hopeful) postseason run; the point being, why waste those bullets getting minor leaguers out when they can be used to get big leaguers out?

The caveat to all of this is that we undoubtedly will not see Buehler go past the sixth inning, even if (as we all now know) he is tossing a no-hitter.

For those who may have been under a rock or abducted by aliens, Messrs. Buehler, left-hander Tony Cingrani, right-hander Yimi Garcia, and left-hander Adam Liberatore pitched the first combined no-hitter in Dodgers franchise history (and only the 12th in MLB history) against the Padres on Friday night.

Buehler did not allow a hit in his six innings against the Padres on Friday night in Monterrey, Mexico. He, Tony Cingrani, Yimi Garcia, and Adam Liberatore would go on to complete the first combined no-hitter in franchise history. (Photo credit – Orlando Ramirez)

As you would expect, Buehler was a bit disappointed when Roberts pulled him after his six no-hit innings and 93 pitches, of which 59 were strikes.

“It’s one of those where you’re pretty angry to come out, but the bullpen guys we have, I trust it in their hands, and it worked out,” Buehler told SportsNet LA’s Alanna Rizzo after the game. “I get it 100 times. I understand what they’re doing, but that’s about as tough as it’s ever been for me to be OK to come out of a game.”

As for the Kershaw situation, Dodger fans were in shock after learning that the future Hall of Famer had been placed on the 10-day DL and was scheduled to have an MRI on his left bicep with noted orthopedic specialist Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles on Sunday. The results of that MRI were released by the Dodgers as the team was in the air returning from their three-game series with the Padres in Mexico. Fortunately, those results confirmed that the Dodger ace would not need surgery.

That’s the good news – great, in fact. The bad news is that it will probably be four to six weeks before Kershaw makes his next start for the Dodgers, and then probably after a couple of minor league rehab games.

In the meantime, it will be up to Buehler, left-handers Alex Wood and Rich Hill, and right-handers Kenta Maeda and Ross Stripling to carry the torch until their ace returns to action.

Stay tuned…