In the latest blow to a busy Dodgers bullpen, Kirby Yates was placed on the 15-day injured list on Sunday with a right hamstring strain, felt during his outing on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Yates retired only one of his five batters faced in the seventh inning against the Angels, allowing three runs to take the loss. He left the game with a trainer after feeling tightness in the hamstring.
“I don’t see how it’s not an IL, given that it’s a hamstring injury,” manager Dave Roberts said after Saturday’s game.
Yates is one of the Dodgers key cogs in the back end of the bullpen, putting up a 4.34 ERA (2.95 before Saturday) and 2.96 xERA with 31 strikeouts against only six walks in 18⅔ innings. His 38.8-percent strikeout rate ranks second among major league relievers with at least 10 innings.
The veteran right-hander has also pitched in 22 games, one of five Dodgers relievers on paced for over 70 appearances this season. Dodgers relievers lead the majors in total appearances (171, 3.71 per game), innings (195⅔, 15 more than any other team), and innings per game (4.25).
Through five games of the homestand it’s been more of the same, with the bullpen accounting for 47.4 percent of the innings, and the Dodgers pitching staff as a team has allowed 6.6 runs per game.
To provide some relief for the taxed staff, the Dodgers called up veteran right-hander Lou Trivino, who signed a minor league deal on May 11. The right-hander pitched once for Triple-A Oklahoma City, tossing a scoreless inning with two strikeouts and a walk on Tuesday.
Earlier this season with the Giants, the 33-year-old Trivino had a 5.84 ERA and 5.48 xERA in 11 games, with 11 strikeouts and five walks in 12⅓ innings. He had Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in the majors in 2023 or 2024, though he did pitch 11 games in the minors last season while with the Yankees.