Blake Treinen endured an injury scare over the weekend and seemingly remains on track to again establish himself as a key member in the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen.
Treinen was struck in the chest/ribs area by a line-drive comeback last Saturday, just two batters into his appearance. He immediately went to the ground in pain but managed to walk off the field under his own power.
Treinen was taken for X-rays and a CT scan, both of which came back negative. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the veteran relief pitcher avoided a fracture in his ribs but did sustain a bruised lung.
That resulted in taking a small break from throwing but manager Dave Roberts told Kirsten Watson on SportsNet LA that Treinen completed a light bullpen session on Wednesday and was going to be part of the Dodgers’ travel roster:
“Today was a big day for Blake. He threw 15 (pitches) in the ‘pen, there was a little bit of residual soreness but overall he said he felt great. I expect him to be on that plane heading to Korea.”
The Dodgers were permitted to include 31 players on their travel roster. That will need to be pared down to the normal 26-man active roster for the Seoul Series.
Treinen collected two strikeouts over 3.2 scoreless innings across four Cactus League appearances.
He hasn’t been a fixture out of the Dodgers bullpen since the 2021 season due to right shoulder trouble. Treinen made just five appearances in 2022 and one during the National League Division Series before ultimately needing shoulder surgery.
There was a hope Treinen could return late in the 2023 season but that never came to pass due to lingering right shoulder soreness and discomfort after bullpen sessions and rehab games.
The Dodgers exercised their $1 million team option on Treinen for 2024.
Blake Treinen’s importance
Aside from already planning to rely on Treinen this season, the Dodgers bullpen needs the veteran right-hander for the Seoul Series due to already being without Brusdar Graterol because of left hip tightness and right shoulder discomfort.
Moreover, Daniel Hudson was somewhat inconsistent throughout Spring Training in his quest to return from injury as well.
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