Virginia Beach native Daniel Hudson’s comeback with the Los Angeles Dodgers has been cut all too short.
According to mlbtraderumors.com, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, that the team will place Hudson on the injured list due to a sprained medial collateral ligament in the reliever’s right knee.
Hudson, a former Princess Anne High and Old Dominion standout, missed significant time last year and this year due to a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Roberts said Hudson will miss “a significant amount of time” but the Dodgers are “hopeful” he can return this season, per Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times.
Roberts told Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times, a former Virginian-Pilot writer, that Hudson will miss at least a month or two.
On June 24, 2022, while trying to field a ball in Atlanta, Hudson tore the ACL in his left knee, which ended his season. That injury kept him on the injured list for the first few months of this year, with the righty just being activated a week ago after effective rehabilitation outings in the minor leagues. He made three scoreless appearances for Los Angeles in his return but is now out again.
Last year, Hudson was on pace to have one of his best seasons as a reliever. He had a 2.22 ERA through 25 appearances, striking out 30.9% of batters faced while walking just 5.2%.
Despite the injury, the Dodgers showed faith that Hudson would be able to contribute in the future, according to mlbtraderumors.com. In September of last year, they agreed to a contract extension, picking up their $6.5 million club option for 2023 while tacking on a 2024 option as well.
That option comes with a $6.5 million base and can reach $7.3 million based on appearances. The club will have to decide whether to trigger the option, which will undoubtedly be impacted by his health status.
Los Angeles’ starting rotation has Walker Buehler, Dustin May, Clayton Kershaw, Ryan Pepiot and Noah Syndergaard now on the injured list. Relievers Tyler Cyr, J.P. Feyereisen, Shelby Miller, Jimmy Nelson, Alex Reyes, Blake Treinen and now Hudson also are on the injured list.
