Edwin Díaz said Monday he was feeling good five days after undergoing elbow surgery in Los Angeles to remove five loose bodies and that he is eager to return after the All-Star break in July.
"Everything went well," Diaz said, adding, "I feel really good." He told reporters, "I can move my arm really good right now," and, "I’m really surprised because the surgery was on Wednesday." Team imaging did not reveal any further issues, though Diaz still has yet to get the stitches out and will not resume throwing for a couple of weeks.
The procedure removed five loose bodies from his pitching arm — fragments Diaz says he has known about since 2012, the year he was drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of Puerto Rico. Diaz signed a $69 million, three-year deal with the los angeles dodgers in the offseason after leaving the New York Mets as a free agent. In seven games for the Dodgers he is 1-0 with a 10.50 ERA, and his career numbers remain a formidable reference: 29-36 with a 2.91 ERA in 527 games, three-time All-Star, 257 saves in 300 opportunities and 849 strikeouts.
The timing follows a visibly rough outing on April 19 at Colorado, when Diaz did not feel comfortable throwing, failed to record an out in the eighth inning and allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in the Dodgers' 9-6 loss. "My arm was feeling tired and tight," Diaz said of that appearance. "Maybe that’s why the (velocity) was a little bit inconsistent." Those signs prompted the imaging and the decision to remove the fragments surgically.
The friction in this story is simple: Diaz wants back quickly but his body will set the schedule. He said, "That (stinks) to miss the first half, but that's something I can't control." He also repeated what teammates have told him: "My teammates, they are supporting me." Diaz quoted them directly: "They say, ‘Oh, take your time. We need you in October.’" He sounded determined to use the downtime, saying, "I’m going to work on my body" and, "I just want to come back strong and help this team to win." Early in his Dodgers tenure, the team had already given him a couple of days off when his legs were bothering him.
There was a lighter moment on the field as well. Jazz musician Tatiana Tate, who performed a live version of "Narco" for Diaz's popular entrance music at Dodger Stadium, drew a joke about her schedule: Diaz said, "She will be out of work for a couple months" and added, "but I hope when I come back, she comes back and plays the trumpet for me."
Practical next steps are straightforward and fixed: Diaz will remain off throwing for a couple of weeks while his incision heals and his stitches stay in, then begin a ramp-up when cleared. He has set a goal of returning after the All-Star break in July. If his early post-op reports and the clean imaging hold, Diaz is positioning himself to rejoin the Dodgers' bullpen for the second half and, he said plainly, to "help this team to win games."
