Walker Buehler has hilarious NSFW response to first Dodgers rehab start

The Dodgers closed out their first home series with a win, snatching a stalemate away from the Cardinals in the late innings of Sunday's game. Teoscar Hernández, James Outman, and Max Muncy came up big after the Big Three's bats stayed quiet, and Gavin Stone kept opposing damage minimal despite some potential pitch-tipping courtesy of ESPN and a weird sixth inning.

One notable Dodger who had to miss out on the big league fun, though, was Walker Buehler, who's currently on the 15-day IL to start the season. The Buehler saga has been tumultuous, to say the least, marked by a roller coaster of miscommunications with the team and rehab setbacks. However, he finally made some real progress on his return on the road with the Triple-A affiliate while the Dodgers were at home.

He made his first rehab start against the Tacoma Rainiers, the Mariners' Triple-A team, on Sunday. He pitched 3 1/3 innings for the OKC Dodgers, sitting down his first seven batters before giving up two walks, an RBI single, then a solo home run and a single that ended the outing.

Buehler took to Twitter to share his thoughts on his first time back out on the mound. It was filled with (self-censored) profanities, but the gist of it was that he was excited to be throwing again. And yes, he deleted the tweet, which was preserved here. Why delete?!

Walker Buehler makes first rehab start with the Oklahoma City Dodgers after long absence

Buehler underwent his second Tommy John surgery in August 2022, but had already been shut down since June. His absence throughout the 2023 season was expected, but it was more surprising that his return trailed into 2024. Initial reports hoped to see him back with the Dodgers by the postseason last year, but after a single rehab start in the minors, LA quickly shut down that possibility. He was present in spring camp this year, but didn't see an inning of work there despite the fact that he wanted to pitch.

The shakiness of Buehler's first start is somewhat expected and shouldn't necessarily be taken as cause to worry about how he'll look when he's back at the major league level. The Dodgers have clearly not been eager to rush him to a return, and the replacement starters in the rotation have been doing good work so far. However, Buehler's minor league starts are definitely ones to keep an eye on, and his long-awaited return to the majors is a treat for Dodgers fans to look forward to in the coming months.