Edwin Díaz (neck) needs another rehab appearance

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called upon Díaz in a save situation for the second time this postseason, this time to protect a three-run lead against the bottom of Atlanta’s order with a chance to end the best-of-five series. He punched out pinch-hitter Rowdy Tellez on an impressive 99.1 mph fastball and got Mauricio Dubón to fly out to right field before coaxing a series-ending fly ball from Austin Riley to send Los Angeles back to the NLCS to face either the Brewers or Padres later this week. It’s a massive development for the Dodgers that Díaz looks like his former self again after an abysmal, injury-plagued regular season.

It was fairly stunning to see Dodgers manager Dave Roberts turn to Díaz in a massive spot, asking him to preserve a two-run lead on the road at Trust Park, following an injury-plagued and ineffective regular season. He immediately served up a leadoff double to Ozzie Albies, which brought the potential game-tying run to the plate. He managed to settle down and retire both Michael Harris II and Mauricio Dubón before getting pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski to ground out, thanks to a brilliant defensive play by shortstop Mookie Betts. It’s fair to assume that Díaz will continue to receive opportunities to close as the Dodgers continue their postseason run. This was his first save since August 14.

This was probably Díaz’s best showing yet. He matched his season high from last week by averaging 97.6 mph with his fastball. He’s at 97.3 mph in four appearances since coming off the IL, which is one mph better than he averaged previously this year.

Expectations are low for Díaz at the moment, but he was sharp tonight in throwing 12 of his 17 pitches for strikes while pitching with a six-run lead. He averaged 97.6 mph with his fastball, with his 1.3 mph better than his season norm, and he lowered his ERA from 11.85 to 11.05.

As anticipated, Díaz returns to the Dodgers’ bullpen for Friday night’s battle against the Giants. The expectation is that the Dodgers will ease him back into high-leverage situations, so fantasy managers shouldn’t expect him to be a viable option for saves over the final 10 days of the regular season. Landon Knack was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move on Friday.

Díaz was placed on the injured list on August 18th with neck inflammation. His minor league rehab assignment has been a mixed bag, with a couple of poor outings last week and then a scoreless inning on Wednesday night. The Dodgers want the 32-year-old to get MLB innings before the postseason begins, but he will have to pitch his way back into the ninth-inning role, which means Tanner Scott will remain the closer for the time being.

Díaz gave up a double to a rehabbing Miguel Andujar, but managed to fire a much-needed scoreless frame. The 32-year-old isn’t a lock for the Dodgers’ postseason roster, but it would be a surprise if he were left off altogether. There’s a chance he’s activated before the end of the week.

Scott inherited a 4-2 lead to begin the ninth inning, but Xavier Edwards and Jacob Marsee reached on singles to begin the frame before Javier Sanoja brought them home with a two-run double. The southpaw was replaced by Brock Stewart, who gave up the go-ahead two-run homer to Agustín Ramírez. For Scott, this was his second blown save of the month. He had just two blown saves for the year coming into the month. Edwin Díaz struggled Sunday in a rehab appearances, so Scott has some leash left for save chances.

If all goes well in his next outing, it sounds like the Dodgers will be ready to activate the 32-year-old hurler off of the injured list. What remains to be seen is if he is thrust right back into a high-leverage role in the Dodgers’ bullpen or if they’ll gradually ease him back into it.

Díaz is slated to make back-to-back appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City this week before he’s potentially activated from the injured list. The 32-year-old former elite closer has been on the shelf with neck inflammation since late August. It feels highly unlikely that he’ll be thrust into high-leverage spots for the Dodgers right away.