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The Dodgers are placing Edwin Díaz back on the injured list, per Katie Woo at The New York Times, citing sources. This is a significant move for a bullpen that has leaned on Díaz in the closer’s role despite an ugly stretch of performance — and it signals the club is ready to hit pause and regroup with one of their highest-profile relievers.

Díaz has been a story all season, and not the kind anyone wanted. We covered earlier this week how the Dodgers were actively trying to fix his mechanics amid a ballooning 10.66 ERA, and now the decision has been made to shut him down temporarily. This is the second IL stint for Díaz, who was already dealing with confidence and command issues that had turned high-leverage situations into adventures. For a pitcher who once recorded 32 saves with a 1.31 ERA for the Mets back in 2022, this season has been a humbling fall. The electric slider that made him one of the most dominant closers in baseball has been inconsistent at best, and hitters have made him pay for it.

Díaz came to the Dodgers with the expectation that he could anchor the back end of the bullpen alongside Evan Phillips and Tanner Scott. That hasn’t materialized. When he’s been on the mound, the results have been brutal — walks, hard contact, and an inability to put hitters away. The Dodgers clearly believe that more time on the IL, whether for a physical issue or to reset mentally, is the better path than continuing to run him out there and hoping something clicks.

The timing matters here. We’re in the second half of August with the Dodgers pushing for a division title and postseason positioning. Every bullpen arm counts, and losing your nominal closer — even one who hasn’t performed like a closer — forces the front office and coaching staff to reconfigure late-inning roles. Phillips has been solid. Scott gives them a left-handed option. Alex Vesia has been reliable out of the pen. But depth is depth, and you never have enough of it in August and September.

I think this is the right call. Sending Díaz back out there in close games when the results have been this poor wasn’t helping him or the team. Whether this is tied to a specific physical issue or more of a broader reset, the Dodgers need to find out if Díaz can be a contributor in October — and that starts with getting him right, not grinding through appearances that erode trust on both sides. The bullpen has enough arms to absorb this in the short term. The longer-term question is whether we ever see the version of Díaz that made this acquisition worthwhile.

Source(s): Katie Woo (The New York Times) | First reported: August 18, 2026 9:30 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers