Buehler dominates in latest rehab start at Triple-A

Coming off his first rehab start, Dodgers pitcher Walker Buehler continued to make strides in his recovery process Saturday night in Oklahoma City's 4-3 win over Albuquerque at Chickasaw Bricktown Ballpark.

The right-handed pitcher provided a sneak peak into his performance at full health, retiring the first nine batters he faced. Buehler allowed just two hits with no runs or walks while racking up six strikeouts over 4 2/3 frames.

Buehler's stuff overwhelmed Rockies prospects, which included a trio of their top 12. The two-time All Star (2019 & ‘21) and 2020 World Series Champion heavily utilized his four-seam fastball -- which hovered around 94 mph and maxed out at 95.9 -- early in his start.

“I don’t really think I have much doubt about my abilities if I’m healthy to go and get people out,” Buehler said back in February.

Ultimately, Buehler finished with 65 pitches, 42 of which went for strikes.

Buehler pitched 3 1/3 innings in his first rehab start on March 31, allowing three hits, four runs (three earned, including a homer) and two walks. He struck out two batters.

The right-handed pitcher is expected to make his return to the Majors in the early part of the season, but there is no real firm timetable set. It has been almost two years since his last appearance with the Dodgers on June 10, 2022, against the Giants.

Buehler figured to be a key cog in the club's quest to another World Series title in ‘22, but things took a turn when he was placed on the 60-day IL that summer and subsequently underwent Tommy John surgery.

The 29-year-old is no stranger to the recovery process. He had undergone Tommy John surgery back in 2015 a few months after being drafted.

“People don’t really understand. You can come back from Tommy John in 12 or 14 months, but I think it’s not really there until 18, 24 months,” Buehler said early in Spring Training. “I experienced that with my first one, and this one is no different in that once I started playing catch again, I felt way better and just smoother and better.”

Buehler is expected to continue building up toward 90 pitches before he rejoins the Dodgers’ star-studded rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Bobby Miller. Similarly, southpaw Clayton Kershaw continues to attack his own rehab, which when healthy, would give the club a formidable starting group.

“He was our guy, and he has pitched big in big games,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts of Buehler in the spring. "Yeah, there were some other names we talked about this winter that we acquired, so certainly there’s a personal expectation, and you want to be the guy. Walker wants to be the guy, for sure.”