Yoshinobu Yamamoto leaves start early with triceps tightness

LOS ANGELES — After his last start against the Yankees, the Dodgers decided to give Yoshinobu Yamamoto a couple more days of rest before facing the Royals on Saturday.

The Dodgers said the reasoning behind the move wasn’t because of health, but instead referenced keeping Yamamoto fresh for the remainder of the season. But after going just two innings on Saturday, the Japanese right-hander exited with what the team announced was triceps tightness.

Against the Yankees, Yamamoto threw his 19 hardest pitches, consistently getting to 97-98 mph with the four-seam fastball. On Saturday, Yamamoto’s four-seamer was down 1.4 mph from his season average, while his curveball and splitter were also affected with lower velocity and spin rate.

Yamamoto’s last pitch of the night was a 93.3 mph four-seamer. After the second inning, SportsNet LA cameras caught pitching coach Mark Prior running over to manager Dave Roberts to let him know to come down into the tunnel. At that time, the Dodgers got right-hander Michael Grove up in the bullpen and eventually replaced Yamamoto to start the third inning.

Losing Yamamoto for an extended period of time would be a significant blow to the Dodgers’ rotation. Yamamoto, the team’s $325 million acquisition this winter, has been putting together a solid rookie season, posting a 2.92 ERA through 14 starts.