Dodgers Stick With Edwin Diaz as Closer Despite Meltdowns, Pushing Tanner Scott Into Setup Role

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen drama has taken another turn, and it is not the one many expected. Despite a rough return from elbow surgery, Edwin Diaz remains the team’s closer, while Tanner Scott — the pitcher who filled in admirably during Diaz’s absence — has been pushed back into a setup role. Manager Dave Roberts made the call clear this week, doubling down on his $69 million offseason addition even as the results have been ugly.

Scott signed a four-year, $72 million deal with the Dodgers before the 2025 season and struggled to find consistency in his first year in Los Angeles. This season has been a different story. With Diaz sidelined for months after having loose bodies removed from his right elbow, Scott stepped into the ninth inning and thrived, converting 16 saves with an ERA in the low 2.00s and a WHIP well under 1.00. He was, by most measures, exactly what the Dodgers needed at the back of their bullpen.

Roberts Sticks With Diaz Despite the Struggles

Diaz was activated off the injured list and has not looked like the three-time All-Star the Dodgers paid for. Since returning, he has posted an ERA over 11.00 across his last several outings and blown four saves on the season, three of them coming in his last five appearances. His most recent meltdown came in a game the Dodgers ultimately won, but it forced Roberts to burn through five relievers to get there — a cost he called significant.

“Give me another option,” Roberts said when asked whether Diaz should be moved into a lower-leverage role. “I can’t just say, ‘low leverage.’ I have to have other options, and to be quite honest, none of those guys have really thrown the baseball great. That’s just kind of the way it is.” Roberts also pointed to the intangible side of the decision, noting that pulling a veteran closer out of the ninth inning carries a psychological cost that is difficult to quantify but real for both the player and the clubhouse.

Scott’s Role Shifts as the Postseason Approaches

The obvious alternative sitting in the Dodgers’ bullpen is Scott, who Roberts has openly acknowledged succeeded in the closer role while Diaz recovered. Rather than hand the job back to Diaz outright once healthy, Roberts initially kept Scott in high-leverage spots before settling on Diaz as the full-time closer again, moving Scott into whatever situation the game calls for — often the eighth inning or matchup-based appearances against left-handed hitters.

Roberts has framed the approach as depth rather than a demotion, telling reporters the Dodgers now have “more high-leverage guys than we’ve had all year.” For a team built around a deep and expensive bullpen, that flexibility matters heading into the stretch run. Still, the numbers make the decision to stick with Diaz a notable bet — Roberts has said explicitly that if the Dodgers can’t trust Diaz in the postseason, “we’re going to have big problems,” which is part of why he is giving his closer every opportunity to work through it now rather than in October.

For bettors watching the Dodgers’ bullpen volatility closely, keeping an eye on live MLB odds before first pitch can offer a read on how the market is pricing late-inning risk in games the Dodgers are expected to win. Save situations have become far less predictable in Los Angeles than they were even a month ago, and that uncertainty tends to show up in run totals and live win probability swings once the bullpen door opens.

What It Means Going Forward

Scott’s turnaround is notable given his own difficult transition to Los Angeles last year, and Roberts has credited him with understanding exactly what Diaz is going through now. That empathy aside, the Dodgers’ calculus is built around trust — Roberts has been consistent in saying he wants his relievers to feel that belief from both the manager and the clubhouse, something he considers essential heading into a pennant race.

Whether the gamble on Diaz pays off remains to be seen. The right-hander has eight seasons of closing experience, and Roberts is betting that experience translates into stability before the games matter most. If it doesn’t, expect the calls for Scott to reclaim the ninth inning to grow louder with each blown save. For now, Los Angeles is committed to its expensive closer, with Scott waiting in the wings as the insurance policy that has already proven he can do the job if called upon again.