Díaz will fight to regain closer role for Dodgers, while Ohtani trends toward return to mound

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Struggling Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Díaz will be ready to fight for the closer role when he comes off the injured list next month.

Díaz is feeling better after coming out of his relief appearance against the Colorado Rockies last Monday with neck inflammation. He threw a bullpen session on Saturday and expects to be ready to return when his 15-day IL stint concludes in early September.

“I feel weird after the game on Monday, so I talked to the team, and they decided to check me and see what’s going on. But everything was good,” Díaz said Sunday.

The neck trouble was the latest setback in a difficult first season in Los Angeles for Díaz after signing a $69 million, three-year contract in December . He has a 11.85 ERA and four blown saves in 16 games, with three coming in a four-game span earlier this month, after needing surgery on his elbow in April.

Díaz attributed those issues to a drop in his arm angle, which caused additional concern when the neck inflammation popped up. After an MRI came back clean, Díaz has been able to return his focus to cleaning up his mechanics.

“I think with a good arm angle, my fastball run way better than how I’m throwing right now," he said. "I’m throwing the ball side to side, so my slider is getting flat in the middle. My fastball is running through the bat, so that’s why we are working now on that, get my arm angle back, and try to keep going and keep working.”

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Díaz would not immediately be used in the ninth inning when he returns, and the 32-year-old understands that decision.

“You know, I haven’t pitched good,” Díaz said. “Tanner Scott is doing a great job. I’m really happy for him. So when I come back, I just want to do my job, help the team to win and make the (postseason) after that.”

The Dodgers have plenty of other moving pieces right now as they gear up to try for a third straight World Series title.

Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is set to throw another bullpen session during a three-game series at the Atlanta Braves, which starts Tuesday. If that goes well, Ohtani could return to pitch in a game the following week. He has not thrown in the majors since July 3 because of a left knee injury.

Roberts said Ohtani, who is 8-2 on the mound this season with a 1.79 ERA and 95 strikeouts in 85 2/3 innings, would then begin building up his stamina as an opener.

“Obviously, we got Glass (Tyler Glasnow) coming back, we have (Eric) Lauer with length, and so to then have the opportunity, the flexibility to insert Shohei to build up like he did last year, I think, is of huge benefit,” Roberts said.

Center fielder Andy Pages had a surgical procedure to stabilize the fractured left hand he sustained when hit by a pitch in a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Roberts did not indicate the surgery would have an impact on the previously anticipated timeline that would have Pages returning before the end of the regular season.

Catcher Will Smith will begin a rehabilitation assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday as he recovers from a neck injury that has kept him out since June 5.

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