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Landing closing pitcher Edwin Diaz in free agency was one of the highlights of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ offseason.
Now, with the Dodgers and Diaz’s former team, the New York Mets, facing off Monday for the first time since Diaz switched coasts, the star closer may not see the field.
Diaz blew his first save of the season on Friday night, and amid reduced velocity, the team is handling him gingerly, reports Sonja Chen of MLB.com.
That means there’s no rush to get him on the mound before the series ends on Wednesday.
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Mar 27, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz (3) delivers to the plate as he earns a save in the ninth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
What’s Wrong With Edwin Diaz?
The lower velocity is not an injury issue, manager Dave Roberts said, but the team is still taking a wait-and-see approach with Diaz.
“You’ve got to respect that they want to be out there. But then we all kind of end up with the short straw if the player goes down,” Roberts said. “That’s kind of what happened with Blake [Snell]. All the right intentions, but at that point, he would do it over again. Eddie’s trying to obviously make an impression, wants to be a part of things. We’re trying to kind of take that with a grain of salt.”
Diaz explained that he believes it’s related to an old injury, the 2023 patellar tendon rupture he suffered during the World Baseball Classic.
“After my injury in my knee, it’s been like that my last two years,” Díaz said. “But as soon as the season starts going, I start feeling better and better and better. And my velo at the end of the year will be what I’m throwing always.”
How Will Edwin Diaz’s Absence Affect the Mets Series?
The Dodgers have already adjusted to Diaz’s absence, with reliever Alex Vesia earning his first save of the season, coincidentally, on his 30th birthday.
While Diaz might want to take the field against the Mets, it’s unlikely he wants to do so out of animus.
“I spent seven years in New York,” Diaz said in December, as reported by Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. “They treated me really good. They treated me great. I chose the Dodgers because they are a winning organization. I’m looking to win, and I think they have everything to win.”
Mets owner Steve Cohen, though, has been a little less zen about Diaz’s departure.
“I did find that one perplexing,” owner Steve Cohen told Mets radio broadcaster Howie Rose. “Not sure exactly how Edwin arrived at that decision. Obviously, it’s a personal decision on his part, and I thought we made a pretty respectable bid.”
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