Dodgers LHP Tanner Scott hits IL with elbow inflammation as struggles continue in first year of $72 million deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Tanner Scott to be one of baseball's top late-inning arms. That hasn't happened so far.

The Dodgers placed the left-hander on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation on Tuesday, recalling reliever Alexis Díaz from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move. It's the first time Scott has hit the injured list since 2021, three teams ago.

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The roster move was made on Scott's birthday.

The injury came while Scott was pitching in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins. After bouncing a slider in the dirt, Scott appeared bothered by something and received a trip to the mound from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who pulled him mid-plate appearance for Kirby Yates. The Dodgers held on to win 5-2.

Roberts said after the game that Scott felt a sting in his arm some time before his final pitch and would undergo an MRI on Tuesday, via MLB.com's Sonja Chen:

"I’m not sure what pitch it was, but he said he felt like a sting," Roberts said. "I think it was probably the pitch before I went out there. … There was an X-ray, there was manual testing, and both those were positive. So that’s a good thing."

Roberts said the next day the team was still awaiting the MRI results while placing Scott on the IL, but believed him to be in a better spot than previously believed.

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Healthy or not, it's been a disappointing season for Scott in general. After watching him dominate up close in the NLDS last season, the Dodgers signed him to a four-year, $72 million deal that made him one of the highest-paid relievers in baseball. In return, they got a reliever that currently leads MLB in blown saves with seven.

Scott hasn't been completely awful — he allowed just one earned run in the month of April, and two in the month of June — but his inconsistency has helped turn the Dodgers bullpen into a weakness after it was supposed to be elite following last offseason's spending spree. It's notable that his walk rate, a longtime weakness, is down significantly since joining the Dodgers, but more pitches in the zone has given some batters the ability to tee off on him.

Subheadow the Dodgers will try to right the ship while Scott is sidelined. With just over the two months until the start of the postseason, they do not have much time.