In the latest setback for the Dodgers’ heavily-used bullpen, reliever was placed on the 15-day injured list Sunday due to a right hamstring strain he experienced during his outing Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Yates managed to retire just one of the five batters he faced in the seventh inning against the Angels, surrendering three runs and taking the loss. He exited the game accompanied by a trainer after experiencing hamstring tightness.
“With a hamstring injury, it’s hard to imagine he won’t go on the IL,” manager Dave Roberts said postgame Saturday.
Yates has been a crucial part of the Dodgers’ late-inning relief corps, posting a 4.34 ERA (2.95 before Saturday’s appearance) and a 2.96 expected ERA, with 31 strikeouts and only six walks over 18⅔ innings. His 38.8% strikeout rate is the second-highest among all MLB relievers with at least 10 innings pitched.
The veteran right-hander has made 22 appearances this season, one of five Dodgers relievers on track to pitch in over 70 games. As a group, Dodgers relievers lead the majors in appearances (171), innings pitched (195⅔ — 15 more than any other team), and innings per game (4.25).
During the current homestand, the trend has continued, with the bullpen handling 47.4% of the innings while the pitching staff has allowed an average of 6.6 runs per game.
To help ease the load, the Dodgers promoted veteran right-hander Lou Trivino, who signed a minor league contract on May 11. He made one appearance for Triple-A Oklahoma City, throwing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and one walk on Tuesday.
Earlier this season with the Giants, the 33-year-old posted a 5.84 ERA and 5.48 xERA across 11 games, striking out 11 and walking five in 12⅓ innings. Trivino underwent Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in the majors during 2023 or 2024, though he did appear in 11 minor league games last season with the Yankees.