Right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler of the Los Angeles Dodgers made a big progress Sunday toward his recovery from Tommy John surgery. In a Triple-A rehab start with the Oklahoma City Dodgers, Buehler struck out two in two perfect innings (box score). His debut minor league rehab game was that one. Buehler underwent his second Tommy John procedure of his career in August.

Statcast estimates that Buehler’s fastball reached a high speed of 96.1 mph on Sunday. He also no longer raises his hands above his head while he throws.

Buehler will play in at least three minor league rehab games, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts earlier this week. If he sticks to a five-day program and isn’t granted extra rest at some point, the earliest he may return is Sept. 18. Buehler won’t have enough time to stretch out completely, so he’ll likely return with a pitch limit.

Nowadays, recovery from Tommy John surgery usually lasts 14–18 months. The second Tommy John surgery in a player’s career often necessitates a longer recovery period than the first, but Buehler has healed very well. Within 14 months of a second Tommy John surgery, it was possible to play in games again.

In 12 starts last season, Buehler, 29, pitched to a 4.02 ERA despite elbow discomfort. He was among the greatest pitchers in the game from 2018 to 21 with an ERA of 2.82, 46% better than the league average after accounting for ballpark and offensive environment. In 15 playoff starts, Buehler has a 2.94 ERA during his career.

The Dodgers have struggled with their rotation the whole season. Dustin May hasn’t pitched since May, and in July, he had elbow surgery that ended his season. After struggling through 20 starts due to an ankle issue, Tony Gonsolin underwent Tommy John surgery last month. Also having a bad year is Julio Uras.

Despite this, Los Angeles leads the NL West by 13.5 games going into play on Sunday. Even if he is only able to pitch for 3–4 innings at a time, Buehler, who underwent his first Tommy John surgery soon after being selected in 2015, would be a huge boost going into the postseason. A few innings of Buehler are preferable than many innings of the majority of pitchers.