Dodgers closer Diaz's fifth rehab appearance yields a scoreless inning; next steps pending.

Edwin Díaz's up-and-down rehab appearances might be wrapping up soon.

Díaz today completed his fifth rehab game with Triple-A Oklahoma City, throwing a scoreless inning. This is a step forward compared to his Monday outing, where he gave up five earned runs in 0.2 innings.

The first year of Díaz's three-year, $69 million deal with the Dodgers has been full of challenges. He has been placed on the injured list twice—first in April for surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow, and most recently in August due to neck inflammation, keeping him off the major league mound for most of the season. Even when healthy, he hasn't performed well, posting an 11.85 ERA and blowing four of his 11 save opportunities.

The Dodgers initially hoped Díaz's rehab assignment would be brief, but they need to see more from him before activating him. In five outings in Oklahoma City, Díaz has allowed six runs over 4.1 innings, resulting in a 12.46 ERA. His control issues persist, with more walks (7) than strikeouts (4).

Even so, upon returning from the injured list, Díaz was already slated to pitch in low-leverage situations. But he may need to compete for a spot in the postseason bullpen; manager Dave Roberts acknowledged on Tuesday that he might not make the playoff roster.

"We have to take the best pitchers, in terms of performance, talent, everything," Roberts said. "I would bet that he makes the postseason roster. But then again, there needs to be some evidence or something for us to bet on. So I bet yes, but we still need to see something."

Here's everything you need to know about Díaz's latest rehab outing:

How did he perform?

Díaz threw 15 pitches (11 strikes) to complete a scoreless ninth inning. He escaped a two-out situation after a double hit by fellow rehabber Miguel Andujar, which came off the bat at 104.3 mph. On his eight swings, he generated no whiffs (six swings on sliders, two on four-seam fastballs).

What's next?

Roberts said the Dodgers will closely review Thursday's outing to decide Díaz's next step. Díaz could either return to the Dodgers or remain in Oklahoma City. The team has at least six games between the end of the Triple-A regular season and the Pacific Coast League Championship Series.

Anything else?

The Dodgers bolstered their bullpen on Thursday by activating trade-deadline acquisition Kris Bubic from the 60-day injured list. The left-hander hadn't pitched since May 14 while with the Royals. He'll have a week and a half to carve out a spot in the Dodgers' postseason bullpen.

Roberts said Edgardo Henriquez, after imaging showed a mild strain in his back, is still expected to return for the postseason. With Díaz's status uncertain, Henriquez could be an option to close games in the playoffs if healthy.

Last year's postseason closer, Roki Sasaki, after being activated from the 15-day injured list due to a blister on his right middle finger, could also take on a similar high-leverage role this year. However, the Dodgers are weighing whether to keep him stretched out as a starter or move him to the bullpen for the final week-plus.