For several weeks, the Dodgers have dominated the Hot Stove. They signed record contracts with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani. Tyler Glasnow was traded to Los Angeles. And Clayton Kershaw's re-signing earlier last week added to the final shaping of this Dodger team.

When the complete roster is looked at, outstanding players like Walker Buehler frequently go unnoticed because of all the excitement around the players acquired through trades or free agency. But Buehler will need to be right in the heart of things if Los Angeles is to play at its best this season.

Buehler's right arm played an important part in the Dodgers' chances of winning a World Series before his second Tommy John surgery. He started for the team on Opening Day in 2022 and frequently gave huge performances in the postseason to keep Los Angeles' hopes alive.

After two major operations on his right elbow, Buehler's situation may be slightly different as he starts his age-29 season. The Dodgers are still being careful with his workload, and he will begin the season on the injured list with no clear timeline for his return.

To continue practicing on the mound and achieve peak performance, Buehler still needs to make a few tweaks. However, he still thinks that the best is yet to come and that he can continue to play at the caliber of pitching that the Dodgers have grown to expect.

Buehler wants to return to the performance that made him one of the National League's top pitchers in 2021 by staying healthy this spring. Last season, on his first rehab outing with Triple-A Oklahoma City, Buehler recorded a four-seam fastball velocity of 96 mph.

On Friday, he pitched his first official bullpen of the spring, but it "wasn't as good" as others that Roberts observed in previous weeks. The Dodgers won't be concerned about those ups and downs because they are just a part of the process; what matters is that Buehler will be healthy and productive by the time the postseason arrives.