Fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers are likely to be in store for a roster upgrade when division rival San Francisco comes to town for a four-game series next week.
Righty Tyler Glasnow will get the start against the Giants on Wednesday. The 30-year-old righty returns from a stint on the injured list after a bout of lower back tightness. Many fans presumed the injury to be not serious but more of a scheduled break of sorts.
Glasnow was clearly the team’s ace in the first half of the season before a string of quality starts vaulted Gavin Stone into contention. Regardless, Glasnow has struck out 143 opposing batters over 109 innings of work, and his 0.927 WHIP is among the best in the entire majors.
On Thursday, there will be plenty of excitement at Dodger Stadium when Clayton Kershaw takes the mound for the first time in a regular season game since last September. Kershaw’s first attempt to return from shoulder surgery came in June, but he was shut down briefly after experiencing lingering soreness. However, he made his third rehab start on Friday for Triple-A Oklahoma City at Round Rock, surrendering three runs on six hits with two punchouts over four innings of work.
“I want to be a part of it, want to be one of the best five guys we have,” Kershaw said after the start. “Obviously, right now, we’re in a bit of dire straits. We need to hold on a little bit … if they need me now, I’ll be ready.”
Earlier in his career, Kershaw was known for his durability, consistently logging over 198 innings per season from 2010 to 2015. However, in recent years, he has faced health challenges with numerous lingering injuries. He has not reached that innings mark since then, frequently sidelined due to back problems. The major concern in 2023 was his shoulder, although he was among the team’s leaders with 24 starts.
Glasnow and Kershaw join a makeshift rotation that currently consists of Stone, veteran lefty James Paxton and youngsters Justin Wrobleski and Landon Knack. After hanging around among MLB’s Top 5 starting rotation based on ERA for the first half of the season, the Dodgers are now ranked 12th in combined ERA for starting pitchers with a 3.96 mark — one of the lowest rankings we’ve seen in years.
In addition, young righty Bobby Miller could be finding a bit of his old groove. On Saturday, he threw four scoreless innings for OKC, giving up four hits and four walks while striking out four.
Righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto still doesn’t have a timeline for a return from a rotator cuff injury, although he is still progressing with a throwing program. Skipper Dave Roberts told reporters this weekend that the former Japanese superstar continues to increase his distance.
“Yamamoto is stretching it out a little bit more beyond 100 feet,” Roberts said. “I think close to 125, something like that, 130. But until he gets off a mound, we really don’t know a whole lot.”
In the meantime, Paxton takes the bump in primetime on Sunday night as the Dodgers go for a sweep against the Red Sox. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. Los Angeles time.