“The Tightness Returned”: Yoshinobu Yamamoto Almost Made a Full Recovery Before Making Early Exit for Dodgers vs the Royals

A sudden decline in the speed of Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s four-seam-fast ball in the match against the Kanas City Royals indicated that something was wrong with the Dodger’s right-hander. Following the red lights flashing, SportsNet LA cameras captured the footage of coach Mark Prior going down to manager Dave Roberts. After that, two of them and the athletic trainer went into the tunnel to evaluate the seriousness of Yamamoto’s injury. 

Yamamoto was pulled out after one hit in two scoreless innings in front of a massive 50,423 crowd in the Dodgers stadium. Eventually, the Dodgers lost 7-2 against the Kanas City Royals, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s tricep tightness became a significant concern. Regarding Yamomoto’s injury, Roberts said, “It’s a high possibility.” When inquired about the possibility of placing Yamamoto on the 15-day injured list as a precautionary measure.“But we’ll get our doctors involved and see if there’s more to it.” he replied.

On the other hand, post-match, Yamamoto and his interpreter gave a short gist of his tricep injury. He said he began to feel a slight tightness in his triceps over the past week. This came after he logged 106 pitches, defeating the Yankees on two hits in seven innings on June 7. A core season for Yamamoto, his Thursday night match against Texas was pushed to Saturday. 

“I was feeling it a couple days ago. But today, that tightness was gone. But the tightness returned during pregame warmups, ”said Yamamoto, who signed a contract for 12 years at $325 million in December. He also ensured that the coaches knew everything regarding his tricep tightness. 

However, over the question, Why did Yamamoto make the start against Texas if he was feeling the tricep tightness before the game? He replied, “I was very aware of it, but it was not that serious at that point,” he said. “Then, as I was pitching, it started [to get worse].” Ultimately, Yamamoto’s four-seam deliveries on Saturday were down by 1.3 mph in comparison to his season’s screamer of 95.5 mph. Also, his curveball went down by 2.4 mph and the split-fingered fastball by 2.9 mph, indicating the seriousness of his tricep injury. 

Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s Return & Road Ahead for the Dodgers

As the situation goes, if Yamamoto is kept on the 15-day injured list, Bobby Miller, the right-hander, might replace him, who is scheduled to play Wednesday night’s game in Colorado. Also, if Yamamoto is dealing with tightness, he may recover before the next match. However, as coach Mark Prior went along with Dave Roberts in the tunnel, it could indicate something serious. 

Additionally, the Dodgers have got the most out of Yamamoto, Gavin Stone, James Paxton, and Tyler Glasnow. Additionally, Walker Buehler made seven good starts on his return after recovering from Tommy John surgery. This shows that despite the injuries, the Dodgers had the managing skills to deploy five solid rotation members over the past weeks. 

However, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto being a key asset for the Dodgers, things could slightly go wrong for the Dodgers. Also, Miller’s return from shoulder inflammation injury could result in a natural transition. Still, the Dodgers fans and the management will be hopeful that Yamamoto returns to defeat the Kanas City Royals at the Dodgers stadium.