Dodgers closer Díaz to undergo elbow surgery to remove bone fragments, expected to return fully in the second half of the season

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced before their away game against the Colorado Rockies today that closer Edwin Díaz will undergo surgery on Thursday at the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Díaz is expected to return during the second half of the season. The team has placed him on the injured list today and recalled left-handed pitcher Jake Eder from Triple-A to fill the vacancy.

The 32-year-old Díaz allowed three runs without retiring any batters in Monday's game against the Rockies. This season, he has appeared in seven games with a record of 1 win and 0 losses, and an ERA of 10.50. This veteran with ten years of MLB experience has played 527 career games, recording 29 wins and 36 losses with an ERA of 2.91. Díaz has been selected to the All-Star Game three times, successfully converted 257 saves out of 300 opportunities, and has struck out 849 batters.

Manager Dave Roberts said after yesterday's game: "It's difficult to evaluate today's pitching performance. I know what his normal form should look like, and when the actual performance doesn't match expectations, it is indeed somewhat concerning. I will talk to him."

Over the past four seasons, Díaz's four-seam fastball velocity has ranged between 97.2 and 99.1 mph, but this season his average velocity is only 95.7 mph, and yesterday at Coors Field, a pitch as low as 92.8 mph was recorded. Throughout his entire career, he has thrown only six fastballs slower than that.

The recalled Eder, now 27 years old, was acquired by the Dodgers from the Washington Nationals for cash considerations on April 1. This season, he has appeared in three games for Triple-A Oklahoma City, pitching 5.1 innings and allowing two runs. Eder previously played for the Los Angeles Angels in 2025, making eight appearances and pitching 18.1 innings with a record of 0 wins and 1 loss and an ERA of 4.91. He made his MLB debut on September 17, 2024, wearing the Chicago White Sox uniform, pitching two innings and allowing one run. This left-handed pitcher from Vanderbilt University was selected by the Miami Marlins in the fourth round of the 2020 draft. In his minor league career, he has appeared in 72 games, pitched 312.2 innings, struck out 356 batters, with a record of 10 wins and 29 losses and an ERA of 5.35.