Dodgers RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto strikes out two players in his first rehab start

LOS ANGELES – Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto began a minor league rehab assignment on Wednesday, pitching two innings for Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Yamamoto allowed one run on one hit, a solo home run and struck out two players in Round Rock against the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate. He threw 31 pitches, including 23 strikes, in his two innings. His four-seam fastball averaged 94.4 mph on Wednesday and reached 95.7 mph. His season average on the pitch is 95.5 mph.

After two simulated games that began Aug. 16 in St. Louis and a bullpen session between starts Monday at Dodger Stadium, Yamamoto appeared as a pitcher in a competitive baseball game for the first time in 74 days on Wednesday.

He has been sidelined since June 16 due to a strain of his right rotator cuff.

Yamamoto had a 2.92 ERA and a 3.22 xERA in his first 14 major league starts. Among major league pitchers with at least 70 innings this season, Yamamoto ranks third in FIP (2.68), eighth in xFIP (2.94) and 11th in strikeout-minus-walk rate (22.3 percent). His rehab teammate Tyler Glasnow, who is out with tendinitis in his elbow, ranks eighth, third and fifth in those categories, to give an idea of ​​what the Dodgers could possibly return in September.

Since Yamamoto has already been out for over 10 weeks and only pitched two innings on Wednesday, he will definitely need several rehab appearances to recover before he is activated by the Dodgers. The question is whether several means a total of two or three starts in the minors.

“After [Wednesday]five or six days later he’ll do a three-inning situation,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday. “From that point on, the discussion is whether four innings makes sense for us or whether he needs another one. [rehab] Start.”

With expanded rosters in September and an additional pitcher, the Dodgers will have a full complement of at least eight relievers whenever Yamamoto pitches for them, so a four-inning start would at least be doable.

Looking at the remaining schedule, Yamamoto’s next rehab assignment will likely be next Wednesday, Sept. 3. If he returns to the majors next time for that four-inning outing, he’ll have time for four regular-season appearances with the Dodgers in preparation for October. If he makes another rehab assignment, he’ll likely only make three starts in the majors before the postseason.

But this first step is complete for now, as Yamamoto completed his two innings in Triple-A on Wednesday.