Just when it seemed the Dodgers were returning to full strength, injuries hit again.
In a very worrying move, manager Dave Roberts announced Saturday that starting pitcher Tyler Glasnow is “highly unlikely” to pitch again this season due to a right elbow sprain.
Glasnow then cleaned out his locker at Truist Park in Atlanta, where the Dodgers will play the final game of a four-game series on Monday night, and left the team to an undetermined destination.
“I don't know where he flew off to.” Roberts said Sunday, according to the Orange County Register. “But he's not on the team.”
Glasnow is expected to miss the remainder of the season due to the setback, which occurred in mid-September, a tough development for both the oft-injured right-hander and the team.
Glasnow was traded from the Rays during the offseason and recently signed a five-year, $136.5 million contract extension with the Dodgers.
He was having his best season since 2021, posting a 2.2 WAR, a 3.49 ERA and 168 strikeouts in 134 innings.
Glasnow was placed on the disabled list on Aug. 16 with right lower leg tendinitis and had been working toward a return but suffered a setback and a scan revealed a sprain.
The Dodgers had hoped Glasnow's injury concerns had been resolved, but they now face being without their frontline pitcher heading into the postseason.
For Glasnow, it's another blow in a career that has been frequently interrupted by injuries.
He had a long recovery from Tommy John surgery in 2021 and made just two starts in 2022 after making 21 starts last year.
Glasnow's 22 starts this season were a career high.
“I mean, I think it's probably fair to say that given the number of innings pitched the last couple years and the number of injuries,” Glasnow said after the extended criticism about his inability to stay healthy. “In my case, I think the majority of the innings I missed were due to the same (elbow) injury.”
The Dodgers have been plagued by injuries to their pitchers all season.
Los Angeles returned Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Sept. 10 and also had Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone back from the 15-day disabled list, with Tony Gonsolin also out.
Shohei Ohtani, a candidate for the National League MVP, will not pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.
“It's a big blow for what he was for our team, what he did for us and what we expected from him,” Roberts said. “Obviously, there's going to be a cost, but we have to move forward and we will. We have a lot of talented people. It's unfortunate for Tyler because he did everything he could to stay healthy and come back and it didn't happen.”
