Landon

Knack

Knack spent just one day with the Dodgers this time around, firing four scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts against the Reds on Thursday. His departure clears a spot on the Dodgers’ active roster for the return of Edwin Díaz on Friday.

Knack has a 2.08 ERA in 34 2/3 innings in Triple-A this season. He has allowed five runs on eight hits in 7 2/3 innings for the Dodgers and will likely serve in bulk relief.

The Dodgers are bringing up Landon Knack from Triple-A to cover the bulk of the contest after burning through most of their bullpen after Blake Snell left Wednesday’s game after just one inning.

Knack picked up a save on Wednesday night, recording the final eight outs against the Royals. Unfortunately, that means he was unlikely to be available for the next couple of days, so the Dodgers wanted to add a fresh arm to their bullpen for Thursday night’s battle against the Brewers. He should get another opportunity with the big league club in relatively short order.

Knack was handed just a two-run lead when he entered the game, so this wasn’t just a case of getting a lengthy save in a blowout. The 29-year-old’s reward for his work might be a trip to Los Angeles, as they’ll likely be looking for a fresh arm. Knack will likely need to change organizations to ever get a chance to be more than a depth piece, and it remains to be seen if he’s good enough to be more than that, anyway.

Knack augments Los Angeles’ relief depth in a long relief capacity. The 29-year-old former starter allowed five runs over five innings across a pair of relief outings last month. He’ll operate in low-leverage spots for the Dodgers moving forward.

Knack heads back to the minors after allowing two runs over two innings in relief against the Phillies on Monday night. The 29-year-old former prospect has made a pair of appearances in the big leagues this season.

After a bullpen day Friday, the Dodgers wanted to add a long man tonight, just in case something goes wrong in Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s start. Knack had been out since the end of the end of the spring with an intercostal strain. He’d made three rehab appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing one run in three innings last time out. He’ll likely rejoin the Comets either after tonight’s game or tomorrow’s.

Knack has been out all season with an intercostal strain, and this will be his first rehab start. The 28-year-old pitched to a 4.89 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 42/19 k/BB ratio in 42 1/2 innings for the Dodgers last season. He could provide them with bulk relief work after the All-Star break.

The procedural move frees up a spot on Los Angeles’ 40-man roster to acquire infielder Tyler Fitzgerald from the Blue Jays. The 28-year-old righty has been on the shelf recovering from an intercostal strain back in late March.