LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session Tuesday. Edwin Díaz’s MRI came back clean. Neither is the most important development in the Dodgers’ bullpen right now.
Tanner Scott is.
The Dodgers placed Díaz on the 15-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on Monday. The MRI revealed a “best-case scenario,” per team sources. No structural damage. But the immediate reality is clear: Scott is the closer. He will remain the closer. And October hinges on his left arm.
Díaz’s timeline is fluid. The Dodgers will not rush him. Rehab begins this week. A return before the postseason is plausible, not guaranteed. The team’s public stance is patience over panic. The private stance is identical. They have seen this before. They know what a rushed reliever costs.
Scott, acquired from the Marlins at the trade deadline, has been everything the front office projected. In 14 appearances with Los Angeles, he has a 1.35 ERA. He has converted 11 of 12 save opportunities. His strikeout rate is 38.2 percent. His walk rate is down to 7.4 percent — the lowest of his career.
“He’s our best and most consistent reliever,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday. “That’s not a slight to anyone else. That’s just reality.”
The fastball-slider combination is the engine. His four-seamer averages 97.8 mph. The slider generates a 41 percent whiff rate. Lefties hit .128 against him. Righties hit .194. There is no platoon crack. There is no leverage split. He has allowed one earned run in his last 12 outings.
Ohtani’s return from shoulder soreness is the headline. His presence in the lineup changes the offense’s ceiling. But the Dodgers’ championship math is different. They score runs. They have always scored runs. The postseason is decided in the ninth inning, not the third.
Recent history supports this. The 2024 Mets rode Díaz’s dominance to the NLCS. The 2023 Padres leaned on Josh Hader. The 2022 Astros had Ryan Pressly. Every recent World Series winner had a closer who could erase a one-run lead without drama. The Dodgers’ bullpen collapse risk is their only structural weakness. Scott is the counterweight.
Díaz’s IL stint, in that context, is less a crisis than a recalibration. It removes any temptation to timeshare. It gives Scott full ownership of the ninth inning. It forces the setup corps — Michael Kopech, Evan Phillips, Anthony Banda — to define their roles early. The Dodgers are deeper than most. They are testing that depth now.
Ohtani’s bullpen session was a reminder of that depth. He threw 25 pitches, all fastballs, at 60 percent effort. No issues. He is scheduled for a rehab assignment next week. The offense will get its anchor back. But the bullpen already has its own.
Scott’s profile is unglamorous. He does not have Ohtani’s highlights or Díaz’s reputation. He throws strikes, misses bats, and ends games. Hitters describe him as “boring” in the highest possible sense — no patterns, no tells, just stuff. That is the Mariano Rivera model. That is the cutter that never changed. Scott’s slider is his cutter.
The national narrative has not caught up. Local coverage has. The Dodgers’ internal analytics have. Scott’s expected ERA is 2.01. His save conversion rate in high-leverage situations is 91.7 percent, per Sports Info Solutions. League average in those spots is 78.4 percent. The gap is not small. It is the difference between a parade and an early exit.
Playoff scenarios are straightforward. If Scott closes out a World Series Game 7, his legacy is sealed in Los Angeles. If he struggles, Kopech is the emergency option. Phillips is the next. But the Dodgers did not acquire Scott to create options. They acquired him to end debates.
Díaz will return. He will pitch again this season. But the hierarchy has shifted. The ninth inning belongs to Scott until proven otherwise. The MRI was good news. It was not a green light.
The Dodgers’ identity is their bullpen. That bullpen’s anchor is Scott. Ohtani will get the headlines. Díaz will get the rehab updates. Scott will get the outs. That is the order of importance.
💡 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- Q: Why is Tanner Scott considered the Dodgers’ real postseason X-factor?
- A: Scott has a 1.35 ERA in 14 appearances with Los Angeles, converting 11 of 12 saves with a 38.2% strikeout rate. His fastball-slider combo generates high whiff rates and no platoon weakness, making him the most consistent reliever.
- Q: What did Edwin Díaz’s MRI reveal?
- A: Díaz’s MRI showed a ‘best-case scenario’ with no structural damage, only right elbow inflammation. He was placed on the 15-day IL but is expected to return before the postseason, though the Dodgers won’t rush him.
- Q: How does Scott’s performance compare to other Dodgers relievers?
- A: Manager Dave Roberts called Scott ‘our best and most consistent reliever,’ citing his 97.8 mph fastball, 41% slider whiff rate, and dominance against both lefties (.128) and righties (.194).