Díaz on track for post-break return after first live BP since elbow surgery

LOS ANGELES -- Warm up the trumpets. Edwin Díaz is closing in on his return to the Dodgers.

Díaz threw his first live batting practice since having surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow ahead of Sunday's finale against the Padres at Dodger Stadium, facing Alex Freeland and fellow rehabber Kiké Hernández (who took his first live at-bat since sustaining a left oblique strain just after his return from the injured list in May).

The next step for Díaz will be starting a rehab assignment, manager Dave Roberts said, lining up a return not long after the All-Star break. The Dodgers could be getting their closer back right on schedule.

"I feel really good," Díaz said. "I feel way better than early in the season."

Díaz joined the Dodgers on a three-year, $69 million contract this past offseason. He converted four of five save opportunities, but allowed seven earned runs in six innings in his first seven appearances of the season.

A notable concern was that Díaz's fastball averaged 95.7 mph, down from 97.2 mph in 2025. He has a recent history of being a slow starter in terms of velocity, but not to the extent that he was this season.

Both Díaz and the Dodgers maintained that he was healthy despite the dip in velocity, but one day after being charged with three runs without recording an out on April 19 in Colorado, Díaz underwent an MRI exam that revealed the loose bodies in his elbow. Díaz had been aware that he had loose bodies in his elbow, but for years, they had been asymptomatic.

Between his bullpen sessions and his live session, Díaz feels that he's close to where he wants to be -- and already better than he felt before having surgery.

"I was throwing my fastball for a strike. I always try to miss up. I don't want to miss in the middle, so I was getting some up misses, so that's good for me," Díaz said. "With the slider, I just want to throw it more in the zone. I was throwing good sliders down, but out of the hand [it] was a ball, so I want to move it a little bit up and try to make the hitter chase."

Díaz will be able to do that fine-tuning while he's on his rehab assignment, which may not need to be long because he is only building back up to a one-inning role. The Dodgers' bullpen has availed itself well in the absence of their closer, but they will surely be glad to have him back on the other side of the break.