Dodgers Broxton Begins Rehab Assignment Tuesday
By Editorial Staff
Help seems to be on the horizon for a Dodgers pen that’s in severe need of assistance. The team welcomed back Hong-Chih Kuo this weekend and immediately inserted the lefty back into the closer’s role. LA is also expecting the return of another familiar face by the end of the month.
Jonathan Broxton is set to take a big step in his rehab process Tuesday, as he’s slated to pitch an inning for the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate.
The large right hander has been out since the beginning of May with a bone bruise in his right elbow.
Though he was able to covert 7 of his 8 save opportunities for the Dodgers before his injury, he did so in fairly erratic fashion. Broxton allowed at least a run in half of his 14 appearances this season. He went to the disabled list with a 5.68 earned run average.
Even so, the team would welcome back Broxton to reunite him with Kuo and potentially shore up the back end of their pen. The team’s closer position has been a revolving door this season, as 7 players have recorded a save for the club.
But it’s not just the 9th inning guys who’ve caused manager Don Mattingly headaches this season. LA’s bullpen has been awful in general.
The club’s pen ranks 28th in the league with a miserable 4.62 ERA. Their WHIP is the worst in baseball as Dodgers’ relievers have combined to allow one and a half base runners per inning on the year.
Hard to hold leads with stats like that.