Depleted Dodgers’ Rotation Takes Another Hit With Tyler Glasnow Placed on 15-Day IL
Down goes another starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, whose injury woes remain a major concern this season.
On Tuesday, right-hander Tyler Glasnow became the latest Dodgers pitcher to hit the injured list due to lower back tightness, a move retroactive to July 6th. He was previously scheduled to start Thursday’s series finale versus the Philadelphia Phillies.
With Glasnow headed to the 15-day IL, Los Angeles recalled fellow righty Michael Petersen from Triple-A Oklahoma City, adding a fresh arm to the bullpen.
The Dodgers don’t expect Glasnow to miss significant time, aiming for a return shortly after next week’s All-Star break. That means he may only miss one start with this back ailment, probably a best-case scenario.
Until then, his club must continue to piece together its injury-riddled rotation that’s now down to James Paxton, Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone, Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski.
“It sort of lined up with the All-Star break,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters Tuesday, including MLB.com’s Juan Toribio. “We obviously were thinking about that, with no real idea when it might or might not happen. But with the back flareup, we just felt this is as good a time as any.”
Just a few hours after the Dodgers placed Glasnow on the IL, Miller was knocked around by a scorching-hot Phillies lineup, allowing nine runs on 10 hits – including two home runs – and three walks over four innings amidst a 10-1 defeat. His ERA has ballooned to 8.07 in seven starts this season.
Los Angeles’ pitching depth – or lack thereof – continues to be tested in 2024, with Walker Buehler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin, Emmet Sheehan and now Glasnow all on the IL.
Glasnow, acquired via trade from the Tampa Bay Rays last off-season, has excelled during his inaugural campaign in Los Angeles. In 18 starts, the 30-year-old has pitched to a 3.47 ERA and 2.78 FIP while recording 143 strikeouts – 19 shy of tying his career-best – with only 29 walks across 109 innings.
The Newhall, CA native is on track to shatter his current career-high of 120 innings pitched, set a season ago during his final year with the Rays. That is, of course, assuming he returns on schedule and stays relatively healthy throughout the second half.
For his career, Glasnow has eclipsed the 100-inning mark in just three of his nine big-league seasons. And, considering his lengthy injury history, the Dodgers may look to monitor his workload the rest of the way – which this recent IL stint will allow them to do, at least to some degree.
Prior to hitting the IL, the 6-foot-8 hurler was set to appear in his first career All-Star Game next week in Arlington, Texas. Unfortunately, he’ll no longer be able to compete, with Major League Baseball announcing Cincinnati’s Hunter Greene as his replacement.
The Reds’ ace has taken a significant step forward in his development this season, posting career-bests in ERA (3.45), FIP (3.68), OPP AVG (.201), HR/9 (0.78) and fWAR (2.4) in 18 starts.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @Hall_Thomas_
Photo: KennethHan