On an otherwise quiet backfield at the Dodgers’ Camelback Ranch complex this spring, a barrage of expletives rang out from the mound one late February day.

In his first time facing hitters all camp, Walker Buehler was already in fiery midseason form.

He’d pull a fastball inside, then admonish himself with a growl. He’d miss the other corner of the strike zone, and frustratingly blurt out a four-letter word. At one point, teammate Kiké Hernández playfully patronized the right-handed pitcher, telling him the misplaced pitches shouldn’t make him feel bad.

With a glare from the rubber, Buehler snapped back just as he started to fire his next pitch.

“He’s in his leg kick,” one Dodgers official in attendance cracked with a laugh, “and he’s still talking s—.”

Two years and a second Tommy John surgery later, the old Buehler — in mind, if not yet completely in body — was unmistakably back.

“Walker’s an elite competitor, that’s never gonna change,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “So we’re excited to get him back and watch him compete for us every turn.”

On Monday night at Dodger Stadium, that return finally will happen.

Buehler will complete a 23-month comeback against the Miami Marlins, having finally finished a six-outing rehabilitation stint in the minor leagues last week.

“The biggest thing of being a starting pitcher … is having that ownership of the game,” Buehler said about his anticipation for Monday. “For me that’s what has always given me the butterflies or whatever. An entire organization’s success on that given day relies on you. So that’s probably the thing I’ve missed the most.”

When Buehler climbs the Chavez Ravine mound, it will put him at a crossroads in his once-burgeoning career.

He’ll not only be taking on a key role in the Dodgers’ starting rotation, Buehler will be embarking on his final season before free agency this winter. And he’ll be doing it all while trying to rediscover — or redefine — who he is as a pitcher.

“I’m just happy to be back,” he said. “And ready to help us win.”

From the moment Buehler hurt his elbow in June 2022, Dodgers officials tried to pinpoint the exact root of the issue, holding a series of conversations with coaches, trainers and medical staff to identify if something could have been done to better protect the ace of their pitching staff.

“We’ll have a debriefing, and talk about some different things,” pitching coach Mark Prior said when Buehler was first hurt. “I think it’s healthy to do that with anybody that goes down.”

In the two years since then, that process never stopped — remaining front of mind through Buehler’s initial rehab in 2023, an unsuccessful comeback attempt at the end of last season, and an elongated ramp-up to Monday night.

At every step, Buehler and the Dodgers evaluated his pitching mechanics, contemplated changes in his delivery and tried to trace the causes of his ulnar collateral ligament tear.

The answer they arrived at, as Buehler stated matter-of-factly this spring, was less of an obvious explanation, but rather an acknowledgment of his undersized reality.

“When you’re a little bit smaller,” Buehler said, “there’s risks you gotta take.”

This is a trade-off Buehler accepted long ago.

To get the most out of his wiry 6-foot-2 frame, he learned to throw with maximum effort on every pitch.

To facilitate his rise to big league stardom — becoming a two-time All-Star and World Series champion — he pushed the limits of his body, and elbow, in a calculated bet.

“The style I throw with is kind of predicated on my ability to let every ball go hard,” Buehler said. “There’s risks that come with that.”

But not any regret.

“Had I not done that,” Buehler noted, “who knows if I get to the big leagues, or would be any good in the big leagues. There’s some cost-benefit to that.”

Now, the challenge for Buehler — who notably has added weight during his rehab process — is figuring out how to be good in the big leagues again.

The first checkpoint will be executing his delivery. His mechanics haven’t changed drastically since his injury, still marked by an over-the-head wind-up, high leg lift and straight-leg finish. “To the naked eye, it’s very similar,” Prior said. “It’s kind of his signature [move].”

Still, there are subtleties Buehler has been trying to hone, Prior said, “nuanced positions” with his back hip, front leg and general arm path that were affected not only by the two-year rehab process, but the bad habits Buehler developed in 2022, when his ailing elbow was causing problems even before his UCL blew out.

“I’ve always been a tinkerer,” Buehler said. “Health-wise I feel great. Now it’s just about getting my rhythm back.”

Dodgers starter Walker Buehler celebrates as the final out is made in the fourth inning with the bases loaded in May 2022.

(Mark J. Terrill / Associated Press)

Then, there’s the matter of his actual stuff, typically among the biggest questions for pitchers returning from a second Tommy John — something only a handful of starters, such as Nathan Eovaldi and James Taillon, have handled with much consistent success.

In his rehab stint last month, Buehler’s fastball averaged 94 mph, about a tick down from his 2022 average, which was already a drop from other years. The spin rates on his curveball and slider had also dropped, though it had notched up on other pitches such as his cutter.

One potential factor for the inconsistency, Buehler noted, was a lack of intensity at the minor league level.

“To be completely frank, there’s not a whole lot of [adrenaline] for me down there,” he said. “I wish there was for me to get going. I wish I didn’t sound so [crappy] to say that. But I think getting the adrenaline of pitching in the big leagues is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time.”

The Dodgers, meanwhile, saw enough in Buehler’s weapons to be optimistic about his post-injury potential — especially after finishing his rehab stint with a five-inning, one-run start in Oklahoma City last week.

“I was really impressed because he was pitching,” Roberts said of his last rehab start. “I thought he used his entire pitch mix really well. The velocity was still there. And he was getting outs.”

Added Prior: “That one, it was like, ‘Dude, we’re not worried about the amount of pitches you throw. Just go pitch and see where it’s at.’ And hopefully, that freed him up to feel more convicted, more confident.”

In the biggest moment of his career, Buehler put complete faith in his most commanding pitch.

With the bases loaded and no outs in Game 6 of the 2020 National League Championship Series, Buehler dialed up 12 consecutive fastballs (including one cutter) to help him record three straight outs and escape a monumental jam.

The sequence was a microcosm of Buehler’s old heater-heavy game plans. While he enjoys a repertoire of curveballs, sliders and breaking pitches, a fastball capable of hitting the upper-90s has always come first and foremost.

The question now: What if he can’t attack quite the same way?

Roberts hinted at this reality when discussing Buehler’s return last week, acknowledging the 29-year-old’s need to probably adapt as he recalibrates his physical state and in-game mindset.

“I think he’s going to still be Walker,” Roberts said. “He’s going to be attacking.”

Dodgers starting pitcher Walker Buehler lets out a yell after retiring Atlanta’s Cristian Pache to end a bases-loaded threat in Game 6 of the 2020 NLCS.

(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)

But …

“I think that there’s [a version of] attacking with his entire repertoire,” the manager added. “In years past, it was heavy fastball, heavy cutter — where I think that Walker has more weapons. And I think that’s what my hope is. [Using them] instead of just trying to bully guys.”

This is the duality Buehler — who still runs hot when he pitches, as his live batting practice sessions in the spring loudly displayed — will have to strike in his return to the mound.

On the one hand, he needs his fire, his competitive edge; the one that drove him at even the healthiest points of his career, and could help compensate for whatever velocity he has lost since then.

“It’s part of his superpower,” Friedman said. “And he’s really good at it.”

At the same time, however, overly relying on that in-zone aggression, or an overconfidence in his ability to blow guys away as he once did, could spell trouble in his transition back to major league competition.

“The game has changed in three years,” Prior said, noting the length of Buehler’s absence poses a problem. “It’s kind of weird to say. I don’t mean it’s changed drastically. But hitters continue to get better, continue to gameplan … and those are things that he’s going to have to relearn. Guys he used to be able to blow fastballs by or throw different pitches, a lot of these guys have gotten tremendously better.”

Add in a small regression in velocity or deception, and Buehler might have no choice but to maintain a more precise, crafty, patient pitch-by-pitch presence.

“He’s gonna have to figure those things out, and the only way to figure it out is to put him against big league hitters,” Prior said.

“As you haven’t been competing at this level for quite some time, [you have] to sort of feel, figure out, see where you’re at,” Roberts added. “I’m sure there’s going to be some anxiousness, some nerves, that there naturally should be, until you kind of get a couple starts under your belt.”

Ideally, it will be a quick process for Buehler and the Dodgers, one that could make the right-hander a vital piece in their long-term championship contention plans — and position him for an offseason payday that once seemed in question.

“He demands a lot and has high expectations for himself,” Prior said. “That hasn’t changed.”

Yet since his 2022 injury, so much else has.

He might be a similar pitcher. He might possess the same unrelenting mindset. But, to manage a return from a second Tommy John surgery that few others have mastered, Buehler might also have to formulate a new approach on the mound, and concoct a slightly altered recipe for success.

“It’s been a long time and a long process, but I finally put some things together,” Buehler said, looking forward to Monday’s first true test. “The delivery just works better when you’re amped up a little bit, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Transgender college runner Sadie Schreiner won three women’s events at the Liberty League championship meet (Division III) on Saturday.

Schreiner of the Rochester Institute of Technology won the 400 meters with a time of 55.07 and the 200 meters at 24.14.

Both times would have been last in the men’s races at the meet, but they were school records in the women’s category, according to the site that lists the results of the meet.

The 200-meter time is now a Liberty League conference women’s record (beating Schreiner’s own previous record of 24.50 set earlier this season). 

Schreiner was also the anchor leg of the 4×400 that won by nearly three seconds – they were in fourth place when Schreiner received the baton, but she ran the fastest anchor leg of the race.

Schreiner’s leg was clocked at 54.91 seconds, by far the fastest anchor leg of the race.

Schreiner, who was born a male named Camden and attended Hillsborough High School in New Jersey, has the 20th-best 100-meter time (11.72) for boys in school history (it would be the fastest for girls).

Earlier this season, Schreiner also set a women’s school record in the 300 meters at the Nazareth Alumni Opener Invitational, running a 41.80.

Schreiner’s 4×100 team finished in fourth.

(John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images/File)

MYSTIK DAN WINS 150TH KENTUCKY DERBY IN PHOTO FINISH

Schreiner recently posted on Instagram that she feels she does not have an “automatic advantage” as a biological male.

“Out of all the hate that’s been shared of me ‘cheater’ is the most common word used… In my eyes, the discussion of trans inclusion in athletics shouldn’t even be a debate…” Schreiner wrote. “As more research is done the more evident this becomes. There’s a reason I’m only as fast as I was in middle school, and the only variable that’s changed over my 9 years of running is my medication…”

“Even as Olympic studies prove the disadvantages of trans athletes it’s not enough. Policies are being changed before research is done and the only way to stay educated in this process is to talk to the few trans athletes that are competing and hear their stories, bring them in to the conversation. The only way to make an educated decision on a small handful of athletes is to hear their voice, not speak for them.”

(C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images/File)

Six states sued the Department of Education last week over the overhaul of Title IX, which is intended to give transgender athletes more protection.

In April, five middle school students forfeited a shot put event due to the inclusion of a trans athlete and were suspended for another meet because of it.

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CITY SECTION

SOFTBALL

Tuesday

(All games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

Division III

First Round

#17 USC-MAE at #16 Jefferson

#20 Alliance Bloomfield at #13 Animo Venice

#19 Huntington Park at #14 Maywood CES

#18 Central City Value at #15 Middle College

Division IV

First Round

#17 Animo Robinson at #16 LA Jordan

#20 Van Nuys at #13 Animo De La Hoya

#19 Westchester at #14 ESAT

#18 Animo Bunche at #15 Belmont

Wednesday, May 8

(All games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

OPEN DIVISION

Quarterfinals

#8 Venice at #1 Granada Hills

#5 El Camino Real at #4 San Pedro

#6 Chavez at #3 Carson

#7 Wilmington Banning at #2 Birmingham

Division II

First Round

#17 Lincoln at #16 Bernstein

#20 SOCES at #13 Orthopaedic

#19 Triumph Charter at #14 Roybal

#18 LA Hamilton at #15 Canoga Park

Thursday, May 9

(All games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

Division I

First Round

#16 Gardena at #1 Garfield

#9 Bravo at #8 Port of LA

#12 LA Roosevelt at #5 Verdugo Hills

#13 South Gate at #4 San Fernando

#14 Sun Valley Poly at #3 Granada Hills Kennedy

#11 Arleta at #6 Eagle Rock

#10 LA Marshall at #7 Cleveland

#15 Palisades at #2 Legacy

Division III

Second Round

USC-MAE/Jefferson at #1 Torres

#9 VAAS at #8 University Prep Value

#12 Angelou at #5 Rancho Dominguez

Alliance Bloomfield/Animo Venice at #4 Bell

Huntington Park/Maywood CES at #3 Fremont

#11 Sotomayor at #6 Hollywood

#10 Sun Valley Magnet at #7 Maywood Academy

Central City Value/Middle College at #2 Narbonne

Division IV

Second Round

Animo Robinson/LA Jordan at #1 Community Charter

#9 LA Academy of Arts & Sciences at #8 Washington Prep

#12 Crenshaw at #5 LA University

Van Nuys/Animo De La Hoya at #4 Dymally

Westchester/ESAT at #3 LA Leadership Academy

#11 Fulton at #6 Diego Rivera

#10 LACES vs. #7 Animo Watts at Enterprise Park

Animo Bunche/Belmont at #2 CALS Early College

May 10

(All games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

Division II

Second Round

Jordan/Animo Robinson at #1 Chatsworth

#9 Santee at #8 Franklin

#12 Sylmar at #5 Northridge Academy

SOCES/Orthopaedic at #4 Taft

Triumph Charter/Roybal at #3 LA Wilson

#11 North Hollywood at #6 Harbor Teacher

#10 Mendez vs. #7 King/Drew at Gonzales Park

Hamilton/Canoga Park at #2 Marquez

SOUTHERN SECTION

BASEBALL

Tuesday

(All games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)

Division 1

Second Round

Corona at Mater Dei

Aquinas at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

Huntington Beach at Villa Park

Gahr at Santa Margarita

Orange Lutheran at Vista Murrieta

La Mirada at Santa Ana Foothill

Cypress at San Dimas

Harvard-Westlake at Bonita

Division 2

Second Round

Westlake at West Torrance

Arcadia at Yorba Linda

Hart at Newport Harbor

Arlington at Palos Verdes

Maranatha at Ayala

Anaheim Canyon at Quartz Hill

Moorpark at Valencia

Citrus Valley at Crown Lutheran

Division 3

Second Round

Corona Centennial at Arrowhead Christian

El Modena at South Torrance

Fountain Valley at El Segundo

Corona del Mar at St. John Bosco

Chaminade at Mission Viejo

Los Alamitos at La Salle

Beckman at La Habra

Summit at Newbury Park

Division 4

Second Round

Camarillo at Murrieta Valley

Los Osos at Cerritos

San Marino at Oak Hills

Culver City at Eastvale Roosevelt

Tustin at Palm Desert

Rio Mesa at Ontario Christian

La Quinta at Paraclete

San Juan Hills at St. Francis

Division 5

Second Round

Ganesha at Santa Monica

Adelanto at Trinity Classical Academy

Segerstrom at Riverside Prep

Oxnard Pacifica at Whittier Christian

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Monrovia

Lakeside at Chino

Montebello at Liberty

Bloomington at Chino Hills

Division 6

Second Round

Costa Mesa at West Covina

Village Christian at Brentwood

St. Paul at Diamond Bar

Alhambra at Grand Terrace

Salesian at Schurr

Rancho Mirage at St. Bonaventure

Santa Fe at Viewpoint

Colony at Rialto

Division 7

Second Round

Buena Park at Hueneme

Banning at Rancho Christian

South El Monte at Artesia

Oakwood at Mary Star

Wildomar Cornerstone Christian at Santa Ana

Leuzinger at Lancaster Desert Christian

Jurupa Valley at Chaffey

Silverado at Oxford Academy

Division 8

Second Round

Orange County Pacifica Christian at United Christian Academy

New Roads at San Jacinto Valley

Coachella Valley at Don Bosco Tech

Rancho Alamitos at San Bernardino

Santa Maria Valley Christian at Arroyo Valley

Edgewood at Beverly Hills

Cal Lutheran at Santa Clarita Christian

Academy of Careers & Exploration at Azusa

SOFTBALL

Tuesday

(All games at 3:15 p.m. unless noted)

Division 1

First Round

Capistrano Valley at Orange Lutheran

Camarillo at Anaheim Canyon

Huntington Beach at Riverside Poly

Chino Hills at Murrieta Mesa

Great Oak at Norco

JSerra at La Mirada

Oaks Christian at Los Alamitos

South Hills at Garden Grove Pacifica

Division 2

Second Round

El Modena at Mater Dei

Beaumont at Ayala

Tesoro at Gahr

Rio Mesa at Temple City

Rosary Academy at California

Whittier Christian at Cypress

Valley View at Aliso Niguel

La Serna at Valencia

Division 3

Second Round

West Torrance at Arlington

Woodbridge at Fullerton

Redondo Union at Sierra Canyon

Etiwanda at La Canada

Santa Fe at Aquinas

Bishop Amat at King

Royal at Charter Oak

Agoura at Upland

Division 4

Second Round

Norwalk at JW North

Oaks Hills at Jurupa Hills

Downey at Chaminade

Schurr at Mira Costa

Paraclete at San Marcos

La Quinta at Santa Monica

Sultana at Diamond Bar

Crescenta Valley at Orange Vista

Division 5

Second Round

Palos Verdes at West Ranch

Quartz Hill at Carter

Liberty at Keppel

Grace Brethren at Garden Grove

Burbank Providence at South El Monte

Cerritos Valley Christian at Shadow Hills

Paloma Valley at Linfield Christian

Fillmore at St. Bonaventure

Division 6

Second Round

Harvard-Westlake at Ganesha

Granite Hills at Lancaster

Indio at Santa Ana Calvary Chapel

Garden Grove Santiago at Lakewood St. Joseph

Viewpoint at Pioneer

University Prep at Mayfield

Canyon Springs at Capistrano Valley Christian

Paramount at Tahquitz

Division 7

Second Round

Hawthorne MSA at Oxford Academy

Miller at Los Amigos

Faith Baptist at Yucca Valley

Pasadena Poly at Riverside Prep

Lennox Academy at Eastside

Vista Del Lago at Cathedral City

Academy of Careers & Exploration at Leuzinger

Orangewood Academy at Muir

Division 8

Quarterfinals

Wildomar Cornerstone Christian at Hesperia Christian

Temecula Prep at Orange

United Christian Academy at Excelsior Charter

Jurupa Valley at Archer