Jonathan Broxton won’t need surgery after no structural damage was found in his elbow, but the Dodgers have placed him on the disabled list with a bone spur.
Shutting him down for a while certainly makes sense even if the Dodgers are convinced there’s nothing significantly wrong with Broxton’s elbow. His velocity has been down, his walks have been up, and too many of his outings have been messy going all the way back to the middle of last season.
After four-plus seasons of dominance Broxton has a 7.02 ERA and 35/32 K/BB ratio in 42 innings since June of last year. He may not be injured, but he’s definitely hurt and there’s no reason to let him get knocked around at less than full strength any longer.
To replace Broxton on the roster and in the bullpen the Dodgers have recalled Kenley Jansen, who was optioned to Double-A just a few days ago. Jansen was a revelation as a rookie and has racked up 22 strikeouts in 13 innings this year, but shaky command led to the Dodgers (briefly) demoting him.
