The Dodgers did not just get an arm back on July 11. They got a reminder of how quickly pitching plans can change, and how valuable it is to have another usable right-hander ready when the bullpen starts to thin out. Landon Knack was reinstated from the 60-day injured list after missing the entire season with an oblique strain, a move that gives Los Angeles another option after a stretch in which the staff had to keep adjusting around injuries and surprises.
To make room for Knack, the Dodgers designated Charlie Barnes for assignment. It was Barnes' second DFA of the year, which says plenty about how unstable his grip on a roster spot had become. He had joined the Cubs on a minor league deal over the winter, was added to the roster in mid-April, designated for assignment after one appearance in early May, and later surfaced with the Dodgers. After arriving in Los Angeles, he threw two scoreless innings, was sent down, and then returned on the first day of July before being squeezed off the roster again.
Knack returns after a careful ramp-up
The more important part of this transaction is not just that Knack is back, but that he got back with some buildup behind him. He completed three rehab appearances at Triple-A, covering three innings and throwing 63 pitches in his most recent outing. That suggests the Dodgers were not rushing him into a role before he was ready, even if the team clearly wanted another healthy pitcher available as soon as possible.
That need makes sense. On Friday, Kyle Hurt made a surprise start after Shohei Ohtani was scratched with a knee injury, and Hurt threw a season-high 36 pitches against the Diamondbacks. That kind of scramble is exactly why a rested, multi-role arm like Knack matters. The Dodgers have used him in both the rotation and the bullpen in previous seasons because of pitching injuries, and that flexibility is part of his value now as well.
Knack's track record also gives this move a little more weight than a standard activation. Before this injury, he had logged 19 starts and six relief outings with a 3.65 ERA, which is the kind of profile that can help a team survive a messy middle of the season. He is not being brought back as a headline act. He is being brought back because useful innings matter, especially when a staff has already had to absorb so many moving parts.
That does not mean the Dodgers suddenly have everything solved. It does mean they have one more pitcher who can bridge roles, cover innings and reduce some of the strain on a staff that has already been forced into plan changes. For a team with October ambitions, that is often the difference between staying stable and spending too much time patching holes.
Knack's return is a small transaction on paper. In context, it is part of the larger Dodgers story: the best teams are usually the ones that can keep adding competent arms before they absolutely need them.
