Dodgers activate Tommy Kahnle from injured list after missing 4 months

The Dodgers on Tuesday activated reliever Tommy Kahnle off the 60-day injured list after the right-hander missed four months with a bone bruise in his right elbow.

Kahnle was one of eight Dodgers pitchers on the injured list, all vying to pitch in some role in October. He pitched seven games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City, allowing three runs in seven innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.

He last pitched on Friday, throwing 15 pitches in a scoreless inning against Tacoma. Kahnle also pitched in back-to-back games last Tuesday and Wednesday, usually one of the final items on the readiness checklist for Dodgers high-leverage relievers.

Kahnle signed a two-year, $4.75-million contract before the 2021 season, which he missed while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery. Kahnle’s rehab extended into this April, after which he pitched four games for the Dodgers in the first two weeks of May. Three of the outings were scoreless, and he allowed two home runs in an inning against the Pirates in Pittsburgh on May 11 in his other appearance.

The 33-year-old Kahnle was placed on the injured list on May 17, and missed 106 games.

Heath Hembree was designated for assignment to make room for Kahnle on both the active and 40-man rosters. The Dodgers selected the right-hander from his minor league deal in Oklahoma City on August 30, and Hembree pitched in six of the 13 games in which he was active. He earned a win with a scoreless frame in New York in his Dodgers debut, but allowed a total of six runs (five earned) on nine hits in 5⅔ innings, with three hits and five walks.