DENVER –– It will likely be at least three months until the Dodgers get closer Edwin Díaz back from his elbow surgery.
Three months, that means, of having to piece things together in save situations come the ninth.
Since Kenley Jansen’s departure at the end of 2021, they’ve had 31 pitchers record at least one save, but only one who has tallied at least 25 (Evan Phillips, who is currently recovering from a procedure of his own after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year).
For now, they will be returning to a closer-by-committee approach, hoping to find strength in numbers after losing their $69 million offseason signing.
On Monday, manager Dave Roberts said he was “comfortable with a handful of guys that I feel can close out games for us.”
General manager Brandon Gomes concurred that, while not every reliever is built for save situations, “for our team … most guys” are.
Thus, as the Dodgers try to move forward, here is a look at their best ninth-inning candidates, and the relievers most likely to fill in during Díaz’s absence.
Though Vesia has emerged as one of the sport’s top left-handed relievers in recent seasons, pitching the ninth inning has been mostly an occasional occurrence.
Typically, the southpaw has been deployed against runs of left-handed hitters in opposing lineups. Usually, such matchups arrive earlier in games.
However, this year’s Dodgers bullpen has plenty of other left-handed depth for those spots. And Vesia, in what is now his seventh MLB season, has expanded his arsenal to handle hitters on either side of the plate.
The 30-year-old is using his changeup more as a weapon against right-handed hitters. He saw it work while recording a couple of saves when Díaz was being held out of action last week.
Vesia isn’t free of his own concerns. His fastball velocity is down almost a couple ticks so far this season (albeit, while generating the most rising motion in the majors by leading the league in induced vertical break).
Overall, though, he’s been the Dodgers’ most effective reliever, allowing just two hits while recording 10 strikeouts in 8 ⅔ scoreless innings so far. He should get plenty of opportunities in save situations, especially if there are any left-handed hitters due up.
Coming off a career-worst season in 2025, Treinen has had a (mostly) bounce-back start to this campaign.
He hadn’t allowed a run in his first eight appearances. He seemed to be rediscovering his feel for a trademark sweeper. And even at age 37, he was showing there’s still plenty more in the tank.
A dreadful appearance on Sunday derailed that optimism somewhat, when the right-hander not only coughed up a seventh-inning lead but failed to retire any of the four batters he faced.
Also discouraging is that his sweeper still isn’t getting as much whiff as it did in his prime years. His sinker, to this point, has also been hit for a .333 average.
However, Treinen has the most career closing experience out of any of the Dodgers’ remaining bullpen options. And he has full trust from Roberts and the coaching staff, having played a key role in three World Series titles during an accomplished seven-year tenure with the team.
The main reason the Dodgers signed Díaz this winter was because Scott struggled so mightily in the closer role last season.
After inking a four-year, $72 million deal, the left-hander converted just 23 of 33 save opportunities while posting a 4.74 ERA. He was eventually demoted from the closer role, and didn’t pitch once in the playoffs.
So far in 2026, however, Scott has looked closer to the form that made him an All-Star back in 2024. He has yielded just one run in 10 outings. He has eight strikeouts without issuing a walk.
He is still throwing the ball over the plate a lot –– a habit that contributed to a whopping 11 home runs allowed last year. But to this point, he’s been able to better limit hard contact, giving up just one long ball and five total hits.
If Scott catches fire, he could be the likeliest candidate to become Díaz’s primary replacement. After all, the Dodgers are still paying him like a top-of-the-line closer.
But first, he’ll have to show last year’s nightmare is behind him –– and that, if given more consistent close-out opportunities, he won’t repeatedly stumble in the ninth inning again.
Before last October, neither Klein nor Henriquez would’ve felt like options for this kind of situation.
But now, both at least have some playoff success –– and power stuff –– to fall back on if they are needed at the end of a game.
Klein has gone from a fringe big-league pitcher to an entrenched leverage reliever, riding the momentum of his World Series heroics to a strong start to this year. And while Henriquez hasn’t been able to do the same quite yet, while battling a lack of consistent command, he still has a fastball that sits comfortably above 100 mph.
Another name that could be in the mix before long is Stewart, the 34-year-old veteran who is out on a minor-league rehab assignment right now in his final steps to return from a shoulder surgery last year.
One name you will notice isn’t mentioned: Roki Sasaki, whom the Dodgers remain committed to keeping in their starting rotation.
Sasaki, of course, shined as the team’s emergency closer in the playoffs last year, and has stumbled to a 6.11 ERA since rejoining the rotation so far this season.
However, Gomes gave a one-word answer when asked if the second-year phenom could possibly shift back to the bullpen right now: “No.”
In Díaz’s absence, the Dodgers think they have enough other options to compensate.
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