Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has maintained his support for closer Edwin Díaz, despite the pitcher's recent struggles and growing calls for a demotion. Roberts emphasized the importance of backing his players, particularly high-profile offseason acquisitions, and expressed confidence that Díaz can overcome his performance slump.
Díaz, who was signed to a significant contract to solidify the Dodgers' ninth-inning situation, has faced difficulties since returning from a three-month absence following an elbow procedure in late April. He has blown multiple save opportunities, seen his ERA climb above 11.00, and has been the subject of intense fan and media scrutiny.
Roberts acknowledged Díaz's recent performance, including a blown save on Thursday where he relinquished a two-run lead in a 5-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers. However, the manager also pointed to Díaz's conversion of a save on Friday, albeit in a less-than-convincing outing that required defensive plays to secure the win. "It wasn’t pretty. I watched the inning too," Roberts said after Friday's game. "But he found a way to make a pitch when he needed to."
When asked about potentially removing Díaz from the closer role, Roberts initially responded forcefully, questioning the availability of viable alternatives. "Give me another option," he stated. "I have to have other options. And to be quite honest, none of those [other] guys really are throwing the baseball great."
While statistically, other Dodgers bullpen arms like Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia have posted better ERAs, Roberts noted that the rest of the bullpen has also shown inconsistencies. He specifically mentioned Vesia's increased walk rate and Scott's recent struggles with hard contact.
Roberts explained that his decision to stick with Díaz is also rooted in a desire to show confidence in the player. "I just don’t want to do it now. Because there’s a part of it where, I need to show him that I believe in him [and] what he signed up for –– until I can’t," he said.
This approach is not new for Roberts, who has managed similar situations with previous closers like Craig Kimbrel in 2022 and Tanner Scott in 2025. Both pitchers eventually lost their closer roles by the end of their respective seasons.
With Díaz, the Dodgers are hopeful for a different outcome. Coaches have identified a mechanical issue where Díaz's arm angle has dropped significantly this season, affecting the shape and effectiveness of his pitches. "I’m too east-to-west, instead of north-south," Díaz told the California Post, describing the altered pitch movement.
Dodgers coaches worked with Díaz before Friday's game, reviewing mechanics and identifying a posture tweak to correct his delivery. "My upper body is sometimes leaning too much to third base," Díaz explained. "So I’m trying to stay up [with my upper body] when I throw the ball."
Assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness observed Díaz's catch play and expressed encouragement, noting that Díaz's pitches were regaining their desired downward break. "When I’m north-south, I can see the hitters don’t have a chance," Díaz said. "Today I made a lot of good pitches north to south. Even the ones I was missing, I was throwing my slider down."
Roberts expressed satisfaction that Díaz was able to work through his command issues in Friday's game and finish the outing. The team's immediate goal is to further refine Díaz's mechanics, with the hope that he can regain his previous form and secure his role as the team's closer in the coming weeks. "Hopefully with a couple days off to work through [his delivery changes]," Roberts said, "we’ll see a better version [of him] going forward."