Tyler Glasnow goes to IL, leaving another hole in Dodgers’ rotation

LOS ANGELES — Officially, Tyler Glasnow went on the injured list with shoulder inflammation. But the real diagnosis could be severe, Grade 1 frustration.

Glasnow left each of his past two starts early with physical issues – leg cramping last week in Texas, a sore shoulder after just one inning on Sunday afternoon. Afterward, he expressed his frustration with an inability to get comfortable with some changes in his routine and mechanics – changes he made in hopes of preventing more of the elbow injuries that ended his 2024 season early.

“Just making a lot of changes, trying to figure out a way to stay healthy,” Glasnow said Sunday. “I think some of the changes led to other things kind of taking over, and I’m just at this point, I’m just trying to figure out what to do. It’s just extremely frustrating.”

Monday, Glasnow was examined by doctors and, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, reported “overall body soreness” not just the shoulder discomfort. He was not sent for imaging on his shoulder (or other body parts) because the Dodgers believe his shoulder is structurally sound, according to Roberts.

“We do,” Roberts said. “There’s the mechanics piece of it. There’s being uncomfortable, not feeling right. I think we’re all just – as Tyler said it – very frustrated and trying to get to the bottom of it.”

Glasnow’s trip to the IL “is going to be a tricky one as far as timeline,” Roberts said. The hope will be that he can use the down time to both heal physically and find some comfort in his mechanics that will allow him to pitch without recurring issues.

“My position is, when you have somebody that is complaining about things, certainly a pitcher, you’re very cautious to prevent against any type of injury,” Roberts said. “The things that I hear, the things that I see, sort of dictates my decisions. In spring training, he felt good with the new delivery, until he didn’t.”

Glasnow’s situation puts another hole in a Dodgers’ starting rotation missing Blake Snell with no timeline for his return either. Snell received an injection over the weekend to treat his shoulder soreness. He will have to be pain-free before he can begin a throwing program. Snell has not pitched since April 2 so will have to go through a buildup process before he can go on a minor-league rehab assignment.

Tony Gonsolin will return to the rotation on Wednesday and make his first major-league start since August 2023 when he had Tommy John surgery. Clayton Kershaw has made two rehab starts and is scheduled to make his third with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, but the three-time Cy Young Award winner is still weeks away from being eligible to come off the 60-day IL.

“Honestly, I just really don’t know how it’s going to play out in the next week to 10 days,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers will go with their second ‘bullpen game’ on Tuesday and could resort to that in the future. But Roberts acknowledged the team has already leaned heavily on the relievers. Through their first 28 games, the Dodgers lead baseball in relief innings (121⅓).

“Pitching is certainly volatile. We experienced it last year – essentially every year,” Roberts said. “I think the thing that’s probably most disconcerting is the bullpen leading Major League Baseball in bullpen innings. That’s something where when we talk about the long season, the starters are built up to be able to take down those innings. That’s where my head is at as far as making sure we don’t red-line these guys.”

Roberts said there will be “a conversation to potentially build up (Ben) Casparius” to pitch as a starter. Casparius went 3⅔ innings in relief of Glasnow on Sunday.

Another “conversation,” Roberts said, could involve Yoshinobu Yamamoto and/or Roki Sasaki pitching more frequently. The Dodgers have kept the two on a once-a-week schedule – trying to replicate the workload they were used to in Japan. With a stretch of 10 games in 10 days and 19 in 20 beginning this weekend, the Dodgers might have to ask them to pitch more often.

It’s a far cry from the abundance of starting pitching that had the Dodgers planning to go with a six-man rotation when the schedule picked up.

“I don’t think we have six (now),” Roberts said wistfully.

NO SHO

One thing is not an option to compensate for the Dodgers’ depleted starting pitching. Shohei Ohtani’s throwing program will not be accelerated in order to get him back on the mound sooner.

“No, no, not at all,” Roberts said. “I think Shohei is separate as far as the process. I think it was Gomer (GM Brandon Gomes) who said it yesterday maybe – it’s a week-to-week thing and I just don’t really know. But the availability of the other pitchers has no bearing on Shohei’s program.”

Ohtani, who did not pitch at all last season, has been throwing one light bullpen session and one full bullpen session per week. He has not included his slider as part of those sessions. He will have to start throwing that before he is ready to face hitters in live BP or simulated-game situations, all intermediate steps before he pitches in games.

He is unlikely to pitch in a game before July at this pace.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Dodgers outfielder Andy Pages shared National League Player of the Week honors with Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez, who hit four home runs in a game on Saturday.

Pages is the first Dodger to be named Player of the Week this season. He was 13 for 20 (.650) last week with three home runs, three doubles and six RBIs, including a 10-for-12 weekend against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

“I’m happy for him. He’s worked hard,” Roberts said. “As a young player, to scuffle and struggle and still sort of keep some confidence and keep going, and to be rewarded like that, is great.”

ALSO

Right-hander Noah Davis was recalled to take Glasnow’s spot on the roster Monday. …

Outfielder Eddie Rosario was designated for assignment last week, cleared waivers and elected free agency. He signed a major-league contract with one of his former teams, the Atlanta Braves. Rosario went 1 for 4 in two games as the Dodgers’ DH while Ohtani was on paternity leave.

UP NEXT

Marlins (RHP Sandy Alcantara, 2-2, 6.56 ERA) at Dodgers (TBA), Tuesday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market only), 570 AM