Kuo was on the DL with back problems that contributed to an uncharacteristically wild start to his 2011 season.
The move comes after Kuo allowed just one hit with two strikeouts in his last rehab appearance for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes on April 29, which was good news following two consecutive shellings for the high-A team. The Dodgers are certainly glad to have another late-inning arm on the team, as on-again/off-again closer Jonathan Broxton has struggled terribly this season.
Another reliever who has struggled this season was Kenley Jansen, and the 23-year-old reliever will try to rebound in Double-A (not Triple-A, as initially reported). Jansen had a fantastic start to his major league career, but this season he's issued eight walks and given up three home runs in 13-1/3 innings (granted, he's also got 22 strikeouts).
Maybe there's a reason why Don Mattingly isn't ready to switch closers: He doesn't have anyone he trusts to replace Jonathan Broxton. Hong-Chi Kuo seems like an obvious candidate, but Kuo hasn't pitched for the Dodgers since April 13 and, as MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports, Kuo's rehab stint in the minors isn't going real well:
Dodgers reliever Hong-Chih Kuo's anticipated Friday return from the disabled list is in doubt after he retired only one of five batters in a Class A rehab assignment Tuesday night.
Kuo, disabled two weeks ago with a sore back that led to a relapse of the yips, was pitching on back-to-back nights for the first time this year after having allowed a run in one inning Monday night. In Tuesday night's game, he was charged with two runs on four hits with one strikeout.
Kuo has a 1.98 ERA since 2008, and picked up 12 saves last season for the Dodgers.
