The Dodgers are shipping Tyler Glasnow with a follow-up MRI after being discharged early Wednesday afternoon, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Maddie Lee of The Los Angeles Times). The big righty suffered a setback while warming up in the second inning of today’s start in Houston. The Dodgers took him out of the game at that point.
Roberts said the team does not believe Glasnow will need time on the injured list. The player said it was a recurring issue that he struggled with several times during the season. Glasnow had a limited IL stint in 2024 due to back tightness and was scratched from early last September with the same issue.
Glasnow allowed the most home runs Brice Matthews before the blow of the Jordan Alvarez again Isaac Paredes. He became the 45th active pitcher to reach 1000 career punchouts in the process. Glasnow has struck out less than a third of opponents en route to a 2.72 earned run average over his first seven starts.
The early exit forced the Dodgers to lean heavily on their bullpen. Jack Dreyer, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt, Blake Treinen, Tanner Scott and newly configured Brock Stewart all won 12-2. Los Angeles is off tomorrow and none of its relievers have hit 27 pitches, so they may not need to make any changes to the pitching staff heading into the weekend series against the NL-leading Braves.
LA entered Wednesday’s game as one of two teams (along with the Yankees) whose rotation had a sub-3.00 earned run average. Shohei Ohtani was the National League’s Pitcher of the Month for April. Justin Wrobleski he is second in MLB behind Ohtani in ERA. Glasnow again Yoshinobu Yamamoto each one is very well pierced. Roki Sasaki again Emmett Sheehan these two LA starters have struggled.
That sextet has accounted for all of the Dodgers’ starts thus far. That will likely change within the next 10 days. Blake Snellfull season after a season-long shoulder fatigue, is set to make his final rehab appearance Saturday against Low-A Ontario (via MLB.com injury tracker). He is expected to rejoin the MLB rotation after that, so he should make his season debut by the middle of next week.
The Dodgers have been adamant that they consider Sasaki a starter as the former NPB star struggled with walks and home runs throughout Spring Training and the first half of the regular season. They may be more willing to move Sheehan to the bullpen, even though he has a better strikeout and walk profile than Sasaki. If Glasnow needs an IL stint, that will take the decision out of the team’s hands.
In other injury news, utilityman Kike Hernández began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City last night. Hernández began the season on the 60-day disabled list after undergoing elbow surgery last fall. That officially puts him out until at least May 24. Position players can spend up to 20 days in rehab, so the Dodgers clearly expect Hernández to be ready to go when he becomes eligible.
Barring a setback, he’ll return to the MLB roster on May 24 or 25. The Dodgers used him Alex Freeland again Hyeong Kim like their middle infield and tandem Mookie Betts again Tommy Edman both on the injured list. Santiago Espinal and a fourth foreigner Alex Call sit in the last two places on the bench. Call has a few major league options left but has been a productive shortstop for the last few seasons. Espinal, who broke camp after one season’s minor league contract, has more than five years of MLB experience and could turn down offers to the minors.
