Saint Louis — The Los Angeles Dodgers dealt the latest devastating blow to their squad, which has been decimated by injuries this season, by placing Tyler Glasnow on the injured list on Friday due to right elbow tendinitis.
It took until there were fewer than 10 minutes before the first pitch for the Dodgers to make the news official after an afternoon where something was amiss. Bobby Miller was scratched from his start with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate on Thursday night and boarded a flight to St. Louis. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday afternoon that Miller’s presence on the taxi squad was related to some potential injury concerns in the Dodgers’ bullpen.
“I don’t want to go too far into it,” Roberts said once questions about Glasnow came up with the manager suggesting Miller could be an option to start in the right-hander’s place on Saturday.
More worrying than Saturday’s starter is now Kyle Glasnow, the Dodgers’ colorful Less than 10 minutes before the first pitch, the Dodgers finally broke the news, following a day in which something went wrong. Bobby Miller took a plane to St. Louis on Thursday night after being left out of his inaugural game against the Dodgers’ Triple-A club. Miller was placed on the taxi squad on Friday afternoon due to potential injury concerns in the Dodgers bullpen, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts. who the team signed a nine-figure contract extension with over the offseason in the hopes that he would lead the front of a postseason rotation. His availability for such a run, however, may be quite uncertain with a
This season, Glasnow was an All-Star for the first time, contributing his usual per-inning dominance (3.49 ERA, 11.3 K/9) and setting new career records for volume. For portions of his first eight major league seasons, Glasnow’s availability was restricted due to a history of elbow issues. Both the Dodgers and Glasnow had stated that the ailment was the cause of the time off, which finally necessitated Tommy John surgery in 2021.
With 22 starts and 134 innings pitched thus far, Glasnow has set new career highs. He has, in a sense, been the center of gravity for a rotation that has collapsed around him. The only other Dodgers starter to start every game this season without missing a turn is youngster Gavin Stone.
The Dodgers recalled LHP Justin Wrobleski and placed RHP Tyler Glasnow on the injured list with right elbow tendinitis.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) August 17, 2024
This season, Emmet Sheehan, Kyle Hurt, and River Ryan—three different Dodgers pitchers with starting experience—all had Tommy John surgery that ended their careers. Pitching prospect Nick Frasso underwent labrum surgery to begin his summer, which also ended his 2024. After having elbow surgery the previous year, Tony Gonsolin was already out for the season, while Dustin May’s attempt to make a comeback from his surgery was cut short when he needed emergency surgery to repair a ripped esophagus.
The Dodgers have suffered more injuries than any other team in the league, with slightly over half of their 11 starting pitchers going on the disabled list so far this season.
“We’re trying to figure out, is there an acute thing, is there an overarching issue to get at?” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said this week of the rash of injuries. “Right now, I wish I had more answers, but we continue to dig. I think we’re seeing it across the industry, and we feel it more acutely when it happens to us, but I don’t think that this is all that unique.
“Are there any external studies from Major League Baseball? Should we do one? How do we best get at it, because it’s not a simple problem to solve, right? There are so many factors … like, what if we acquire somebody who gets hurt? What happened before then? Were they in our system the whole time? We just don’t know.”
Due to back tightness, Glasnow had already been placed on the injured list this season at the All-Star break. Due to workload issues, Walker Buehler’s season was postponed. He later returned to the disabled list due to hip irritation, and he has not looked like himself for any significant period of time. After undergoing his first major surgery of his career, Clayton Kershaw is still recovering.Miller, ascendant as a rookie last year, has also missed time with a shoulder issue. He’s struggled since, showing diminished velocity and command that led to him going down to the minors a month ago. His results since — allowing eight runs and walking 11 batters in 13 innings — have not inspired much confidence. But the Dodgers are limited with their options, having already called up rookies Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski over the past week to help soak up innings.
Another well-known choice made progress in his recuperation. Yoshinobu Yamamoto joined the team at Busch Stadium on Friday afternoon, facing batters for the first time since he was placed on the injured list in June due to a strained rotator cuff. The outing lasted 17 pitches and featured five hitters, along with a little confusion of its own. Yamamoto claimed it was just a misunderstanding after Roberts initially claimed he did not feel at ease with the mound and then claimed the appearance took that long because of the oppressive heat in St. Louis.
Yoshihiro Sonoda, the interpreter, reported that Yamamoto expressed satisfaction with the sensation in his right shoulder.
“My goal is still getting back to where I was throwing in actual games,” Yamamoto said. “But I think it’s good being able to throw a live BP.”
It still seems like the best-case scenario is a September comeback. Yamamoto stated that before he and the team discuss a minor-league rehab assignment, he probably needs at least two more live batting practice sessions against hitters.
It is unclear who will be left in the rotation when he comes back.
(Photo: Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)
