Last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished the regular season with 100 wins and a rotation so beset by injuries that they were left with only the variably limited forms of Clayton Kershaw, Bobby Miller and Lance Lynn for the playoffs.
They are on track to repeat in 2024.
The Dodgers announced on friday They were placing starting pitcher Gavin Stone, the only starting pitcher on their roster who hadn’t been injured this season, on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation.
Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations for the Dodgers He later told reporters Stone will be unable to throw for 10 days, and the viability of his return will depend on how he feels at the end of the period. That period leaves very little room for Stone to be ready when the playoffs come around.
Even before Stone’s injury, the Dodgers were already facing a bleak outlook when it came to available pitchers in October. Having a Shohei Ohtani-led lineup is fun, but pitching is still needed in the playoffs, and the Dodgers, well, let’s go through all the pitchers they might have wanted pitching for them in the playoffs.
The injuries in the Dodgers’ rotation are something to watch
Clayton Kershaw:The veteran Dodgers ace underwent off-season shoulder surgery and didn’t return until July 25. After seven up-and-down starts, posting a career-worst 4.50 ERA, Kershaw returned to the IL due to a bone spur on his right toe that requires a walking boot.
Yoshinobu YamamotoThe $325 million man was living up to expectations until a rotator cuff strain sidelined him in June. Fortunately, he’s scheduled to return Tuesday.
Tyler Glasnow:After starting the season looking like a Cy Young candidate, Glasnow went on the disabled list on July 9 with a back injury, returned later in the month and then went on the disabled list again with right elbow tendinitis. He and the Dodgers still hope he can make some MLB starts before the end of the regular season.
Walker Buehler:Buehler, who had previously been the team’s mainstay in the postseason, underwent a second Tommy John surgery in May and was sidelined again in June with a hip injury after his ERA rose to 5.84. He returned in August and hasn’t looked much better since, posting a 5.29 ERA in four starts, none of which lasted more than five innings.
Bobby MillerLast year’s standout rookie has been this year’s disaster. Miller went on the disabled list in April with shoulder inflammation and didn’t return until June. Since then, he has the worst ERA in the majors among pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched, at 7.79. He was demoted to the minors at one point, but still struggles.
Gavin’s Stone:See above.
Jack FlahertyThe Dodgers’ big trade deadline acquisition is still healthy!
Dustin MayoThe flamethrower hasn’t pitched all year and won’t return, due to a second Tommy John surgery and then a torn esophagus.
Tony GonsolinGonsolin also has not pitched all year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. If he returns, it will not be as a starter.
Emmet Sheehan:Sheehan competed for a roster spot during spring training but had to withdraw because of shoulder soreness. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May.
Ryan RiverThe team’s top pitching prospect at the start of the season dealt with shoulder fatigue early in the season and made his MLB debut in July. Four starts later, he needed Tommy John surgery.
Shohei OhtaniOhtani won’t pitch this year after undergoing major elbow surgery at the end of last season. The Dodgers knew that when they signed him, but they’d love for him to be a two-way player now.
Yes, it’s been bad. And that’s not even counting the lengthy stints on the injured list for players like Mookie Betts and Max Muncy.
The Dodgers’ current rotation consists of Flaherty, hitters Buehler and Miller and rookies Landon Knack and Justin Wrobleski. Yamamoto returns next week and Glasnow might not be far behind him, but there’s no guarantee either will remain healthy and effective for the playoffs.
Pitching injuries are a cost of doing business in baseball, but the Dodgers have reached a new level this season. Whether it’s due to a mistake in the team’s pitching evaluations, a mistake in team coaching, bad luck or a “Homer at the Bat”-style curse can be argued, but the point remains that the Dodgers need several things to work right in order to have a real playoff rotation.