Yes, Dodgers pitchers get injured all the time. But they may not need much for backup.
What should the Dodgers do at the trade deadline? Here’s a hot take: nothing.
Look, another pitcher is never a bad idea — the more the merrier, in the Dodgers’ injury-prone roster. But unlike most teams with holes in the rotation, the Dodgers aren’t necessarily desperate for more.
It’s clear that the Dodgers don’t really care what happens until the playoffs (Exhibit A), and with their record, it’s also clear that they will make it to the playoffs. That means they have about three months to get their injured pitchers back to full strength.
Shohei Ohtani is adding another inning of work every other appearance or so, and it’s likely that he’ll be back to a full workload in the fall — after all, starters don’t need to cover as many innings as they used to.
Tyler Glasnow and Emmet Sheehan should be back in action soon, and Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May, and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are healthy right now — let’s hope they stay that way.
Here’s a breakdown of everyone else who’s on their way back, according to ESPN:
- Blake Treinen: Throwing to hitters today, with a minor-league rehab start likely
- Blake Snell: Same deal.
- Tyler Glasnow: Likely to return during the next road trip
- Michael Kopech: On the 15-day IL with what manager Dave Roberts described as “short term” knee inflammation, according to Benjamin Royer at the Los Angeles Times.
- Brusdar Graterol: Planning on a minor-league rehab assignment in August—just in time for the playoffs.
Is it enough? Maybe. These are big names with reliable performance, and they’ll certainly pack a punch when it counts. While it’s highly unlikely that the Dodgers will sit back and let viable backup options go by this month, they might turn out just fine if they can’t make something work.