Dodgers Edwin Díaz blow leaves former Padres reliever with major spotlight

The Padres hardly needed another reason to keep one eye on the Dodgers, but losing the closer Los Angeles spent big money to lock into the ninth inning counts as something worth noticing. Edwin Díaz is headed for elbow surgery and expected to miss roughly three months, which means the Dodgers aren’t just losing a name. They’re losing a role they specifically paid to make feel automatic.  

The spotlight doesn’t just shift to the Dodgers’ bullpen in general. It shifts right onto Tanner Scott, who came to San Diego at the 2024 trade deadline, dominated in a Padres uniform, then left for the rival up north once free agency opened. In just 28 appearances with the Padres, Scott went 3-1 with a 2.73 ERA, 31 strikeouts, and four saves over 26 1/3 innings, giving San Diego exactly the kind of late-inning weapon contenders need.

Tanner Scott is suddenly at the center of the Dodgers’ closer battle

This lands a little differently now because Scott is doing more than living off old Padres memories. He’s opened 2026 looking like one of the Dodgers’ steadiest late-inning arms, giving up just one earned run with no walks through 8 2/3 innings for a 1.04 ERA and 0.58 WHIP. That should put him right in the middle of the closer conversation with Edwin Díaz sidelined, even if Los Angeles doesn’t hand him the job outright. Alex Vesia has already collected saves of his own, and Blake Treinen is still part of the late-inning picture, so this looks more like a battle than a clean promotion. 

Los Angeles gave Díaz a three-year, $69 million deal to make the ninth inning feel settled, and now that plan is on hold until at least the second half. They’re still leading the NL West at 16-6. But the Padres are right there at 15-7, just one game back entering Tuesday, April 21. The division doesn’t suddenly belong to San Diego because one Dodger got hurt, but it does mean the usual aura of bullpen certainty is a little weaker than it looked a week ago.  

Scott chose the Dodgers because they offered contention, stability, and a chance to pitch in the biggest games. Well, this is part of that bargain too. When a team signs you to matter, you don’t just inherit the good vibes and the win totals. You inherit the pressure when something breaks. Díaz’s injury just pushed Scott into a bigger role on a team the Padres are chasing, and that makes him more relevant to San Diego all over again. The spotlight is his now, and Padres fans know exactly how dangerous that can look when he owns it.  

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