The Los Angeles Dodgers thought they were making their already-stellar bullpen lights out when they signed All-Star closer Tanner Scott to a four-year, $72 million contract this off-season.
But fast forward a year, and even though the Dodgers are back in the World Series, they are trying to win the Fall Classic again without Scott’s services. The relief pitcher was left off the active roster for the World Series after having surgery to remove an infected abscess according to the team.
Scott has not pitched in the postseason while recovering from the surgery, which took place Oct. 8. The Dodgers are trying to become the first team since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees to repeat against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Tanner Scott’s Surgery Has Kept Him Out Of The Dodgers Bullpen In The Postseason
Though Scott struggled all season, his injury is what is keeping him out of Dodgers lineup in the postseason.
Scott was on the Dodgers roster for both the NL Wild Card Series and the National League Division Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. He was not available for Game 3 of the NLDS — the Dodgers called it “personal reasons” — before manager Dave Roberts opened up about the surgery.
âIt was an abscess excision, some kind of lower body minor procedure,â Roberts said. âI donât know a lot about it, but I know heâs recovering well.â
Scott has been ramping up for a return to the Dodgers bullpen in hopes of coming back in case he can be an injury replacement.
“I feel a lot better now. I’m throwing, threw a couple bullpens, see where it takes me,” Scott said before the World Series. “[The surgery was] bad timing, but healthy now, so just keep going. That’s about it.”
Yet, with the rosters set, and Scott not on the preliminary roster, it’s unlikely he will pitch again in a game this season.
Tanner Scott Was Not Good For the Dodgers This Year
If Scott were the pitcher he was when LA signed him it probably would be pushing harder for him to return.
Scott was lights out for the San Diego Padres last year, throwing in all five games and accruing a 0.00 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 4 1/3 innings their NLDS loss to the Dodgers a year ago.
But Scott was a liability for the Dodgers most of the season. He finished the year 1-4 with a 4.74 ERA and minus-0.6 bWAR and lost his closer role midseason and blew 10 saves.
He was unused in the first four games of the postseason despite LA’s 4-0 record, since Roki Sasaki took over the closer role for the postseason. Sasaki has three saves and a 1.13 ERA with five games finished in eight innings through their 9-2 start to the postseason.
There could have been a spot for Scott in the World Series after high-leverage left-hander Alex Vesia leaving the team due to “a deeply personal matter.” Yet, who knows how Scott would perform if healthy.
So Dodgers fans probably view Scott’s “injury” as a serendipitous outcome based on how he performed in 2025.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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