Dodgers activate Yoshinobu Yamamoto

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Dodgers have activated right-handed pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto and designated left-handed pitcher Nick Ramirez for assignment.

Yamamoto, 26, returns to make the start this evening against the Cubs. The right-hander has been out since June 15 when he left the game after tossing two scoreless innings against the Kansas City Royals. He was placed on the Dodgers’ injured list June 16 with a strained rotator cuff. his first Major League season, Yamamoto has made 14 starts with the Dodgers, going 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA. He made two rehab starts with Triple-A Oklahoma City, going 0-1 with a 6.75 ERA and five strikeouts in 4.0 innings. Yamamoto signed a 12-year contract with the Dodgers on December 27, 2023 after spending seven seasons with the Orix Buffaloes of the Nippon Professional Baseball League, posting a 70-29 record, 1.82 ERA and 922 strikeouts in 172 games. In 2023, he helped guide the Buffaloes to the Nippon Pacific League pennant and to the Japan Series Championship. He was named the Nippon Pacific League Most Valuable Player for a third straight season, winning the Japanese pitching triple crown, leading the league in wins (16), strikeouts (169) and ERA (1.21) over 164 innings in 23 games.

Ramirez, 35, pitched last night, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits in 2.0 innings. He went 0-0 with a 6.08 ERA in eight games with the Dodgers this season. He made 25 appearances with Oklahoma City this season, going a combined 3-1 with a 4.65 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 31.0 innings. He was acquired from the New York Yankees on April 2 for cash considerations, and he is a combined 7-7 with a 4.21 ERA in 104 Major League appearances with Detroit (2019-20), San Diego (2021), New York-AL (2023) and Los Angeles (2024).