Dodgers place Tyler Glasnow on injured list

The Dodgers placed Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list just before today's game against the Cardinals. It is the second IL stay of the season for the lanky right-hander, who is battling tendonitis in his elbow. Rookie left-hander Justin Wrobleski was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City and will make his fifth Major League start tonight.

Although there were no signs that Glasnow was battling an injury, the Dodgers announced yesterday that they would move his scheduled start from tonight to Saturday. As Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic (on X) notes, it is likely that the Dodgers will Bobby Miller to take the ball tomorrow instead. Miller has been on optional assignment since just before the All-Star break, but is traveling with the MLB club on the taxi squad. Miller has continued to struggle in three Triple-A starts since his demotion. He hasn't pitched in a week, though, so he'll likely be recalled.

There are no signs that Glasnow will be out for an extended period of time, but losing him for at least two weeks is still another blow to a rotation that has been hit hard by injuries. The Dodgers are without Yoshinobu Yamamoto because of a rotator cuff strain and were without Tony Gonzalez, Dustin May And Emmet Sheehan the entire season. Gonsolin, May and Sheehan have all undergone major arm surgery. Top talent River Ryan joins them in this regard. He has to undergo Tommy John surgery and may be out until 2026.

Clayton Kershaw And Walker Buehler recently returned after a long injury break. Miller was out for a few months due to shoulder problems and has looked like a shadow of his rookie self since his return. The Dodgers have Jack Flaherty in one of the biggest deadline deals, although he himself is not without health problems. Rookie right-hander Gavin Stone has proven to be a surprisingly important rotation player, getting the ball 22 times and posting a 3.63 ERA in 121 1/3 innings.

Wrobleski's appearance tonight is expected to be a spot start. That would give LA a rotation of Flaherty, Stone, Kershaw, Buehler and Miller for the next few weeks. They're obviously hoping Glasnow returns soon. Their offseason transfer has been fantastic when he's been healthy, posting a 3.49 ERA and striking out more than 32% of batters in 22 starts. The 134 innings this season are already his career high in any major or minor league season.

Durability has long been the biggest question with Glasnow, who missed most of the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery. His placement on the IL earlier this year was far less of a concern. Glasnow was out for at least 15 days around the All-Star break because of lower back inflammation – an injury layoff that also served to curb his increasing workload.

The Dodgers were relatively comfortable with their place in the division at the time. Winning streaks by the Padres and Diamondbacks narrowed the gap, shrinking LA's lead in the NL West to two games. The Dodgers are still almost certain to make the playoffs, but they are not storming to the division title as easily as most expected.

Getting healthy again by October remains the team's top priority. When the playoffs rolled around a year ago, their rotation was decimated by injuries. They went into the postseason relying on Miller and a much weaker version of Kershaw, who pitched despite a shoulder injury that required surgery. The Diamondbacks swept them out of the Division Series on their way to the NL championship.

The Dodgers are currently not at the panic levels of last year. Flaherty has pitched like a potential Game 1 starter this year. Glasnow could be back long before the postseason. Yamamoto is hoping to return late in the regular season; he threw a simulated 17-pitch game this afternoon as he begins to rebuild his arm strength (replied on X by Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). There is still a path for the Dodgers to field a playoff rotation consisting of Glasnow, Yamamoto, Flaherty and one of Stone or Kershaw.

Los Angeles will get reinforcements on the pitching team tomorrow, but in the bullpen. DiGiovanna tweeted that the team Ryan Brasier from the 60-day injured list. The right-hander has been out since late April due to a severe calf strain. LA already has a gap in the 40-man roster after Amed Rosario for the task earlier in the week.