Dodgers' Dave Roberts Hasn't Lost Hope For Rotation Amid Injury Barrage

Maren Angus-Coombs | Sep 16, 2024

Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers gambled on Tyler Glasnow this offseason and were dealt a losing hand when it was announced he was likely done for the season with a sprained elbow.

Without Glasnow — who went on the injured list last month due to tendinitis and also missed time in July with back tightness — the rotation will be missing a key component as the playoffs approach.

However, the Dodgers still have Jack Flaherty, their top trade deadline acquisition, who is 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA in seven starts with the team.

Additionally, they recently welcomed Yoshinobu Yamamoto back to the mound after he missed nearly three months with a shoulder injury. Yamamoto, a $325-million offseason signing, returned to action last week and looked better than he did in the first half.

These two pitchers plus Walker Buehler's promising outing on Sunday against the Atlanta Braves gave manager Dave Roberts hope.

Okay but shoutout to Walker Buehler he was pretty damn good tonight

6 IP
1 ER
3 H
5 K
5 BB (look away)
10 whiffs
29 CSW% pic.twitter.com/ZhkhWzSYAQ

— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) September 16, 2024

“I’m still confident,” Roberts said. “I don’t think there’s one way to win a championship. I think you can look back at the teams recently and how their staffs came together and who stepped up for each team’s staff. So we’re going to have the guys we have, and I feel confident in whoever we run out there.”

The news about Glasnow was devastating in the moment.

“It’s a big blow,” Roberts said. “Looking at what he meant for our ballclub, what he’s done for us, what we expected him to do, certainly there’s going to be a cost.”

When Glasnow was healthy, he showcased the ace-caliber ability the Dodgers had hoped for. In 22 starts, he posted a 9-6 record with a 3.49 ERA, setting career highs with 134 innings pitched and 168 strikeouts. He also earned his first All-Star selection in his nine-year career.

Unfortunately, Glasnow's first season in Los Angeles has been marred by injuries. Another injury-shortened campaign came to an end when he experienced elbow discomfort while warming up for a simulated game on Friday.

“I feel bad for Tyler,” Roberts said, noting that while Glasnow’s ulnar collateral ligament hasn’t been damaged, the sprain in his elbow will keep him from throwing “for a while.”

“He did everything to stay healthy and get back,” Roberts added. “It just wasn’t going to happen.”

As far as the postseason is concerned, the starting rotation will most likely be a mix of Flaherty and Yamamoto anchoring the staff followed by Kershaw, Buehler, Knack or Miller behind them.

It's not ideal, but it is manageable.