With several pitchers sidelined and a particularly busy time in the schedule, the Dodgers are in the midst of what could be a very turbulent next four weeks or so.
LOS ANGELES — “How will the Dodgers sort out all that starting pitching?” has become “Who is left standing to start on the mound?”
Monday contained a mixture of news on both ends of the spectrum, with Clayton Kershaw set to return to the mound on Saturday against the Angels, but also Roki Sasaki landing on the injured list with a right shoulder impingement. There’s no set timetable for Sasaki’s return, but the only sure thing is that it won’t be soon.
It’s more of the same with Blake Snell, with no real update on his timeline just yet. But even if he begins throwing this week, he has already been sidelined since April 3, so any sort of rehab assignment is going to take multiple weeks, at least. In a best-case scenario.
Tyler Glasnow has started his throwing program, but will need get off of a mound and eventually face hitters before starting a rehab assignment. Already over two weeks since his last start, he’ll likely need multiple weeks as well, so we’re talking about an early-to-mid June return if all goes well.
In other words, for the short term, the Dodgers rotation for the most part is what it is, presented here in order of when they will pitch this homestand:
- Yoshinobu Yamamoto
- Dustin May
- Clayton Kershaw
- Tony Gonsolin
- Landon Knack
In between Yamamoto and May is this Thursday, which would have been Sasaki’s start before he went on the injured list.
“I think right now it’s safe to say it’s going to be a bullpen game,” manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday night about the series finale against the A’s.
Ben Casparius, who got four outs Sunday in Phoenix, and Matt Sauer, who pitched an inning on Sunday, figure to be a part of Thursday’s effort. Their roles beyond that is where it gets interesting.
The Dodgers will need to fill innings in another game on this homestand, either May 20 or May 21 against Arizona, depending on how they want to line up Yamamoto. He could start next Tuesday on five days rest and they use a bullpen game or just give a start to Casparius or Sauer on Wednesday. Or they could bump Yamamoto to buy an extra day of rest and use that bullpen/bulk day on Tuesday.
This homestand will end a stretch of 19 games in 20 days, including 10 days in a row followed by nine days in a row. We looked last month at recent seasons of these long stretches, and how pitching turnover is inevitable given the constant need for fresh arms as the machine continues to churn.
During the 10-game road trip, the Dodgers added three pitchers to the active roster (J.P. Feyereisen, Knack, Sauer). One day into this nine-game homestand, Feyereisen was added and given that he pitched two innings could conceivably fall victim to the fresh arm express soon. Kershaw will be added Saturday.
But this isn’t the only long stretch of games coming for the Dodgers. After the homestand, the team is off May 22 then play six games on the road against the Mets and Guardians, then after a May 29 off day play 13 more days in a row (home for Yankees and Mets, then on the road to St. Louis and San Diego). That’s another stretch of 19 games in 20 days through June 11, and 38 games over a 41-day stretch.
Given the current state of rehab, it’s not feasible for Glasnow, Snell, or Sasaki to pitch during this stretch. So the Dodgers’ backup rotation options, aside from the already-active Casparius and Sauer, are in Triple-A: Justin Wrobleski, Nick Frasso, or a struggling Bobby Miller.
Currently available extra relievers available on the 40-man roster are Noah Davis and Ryan Loutos. Michael Kopech could also return from the injured list in about two weeks or so, given that he’s two games into his rehab assignment.
There’s more uncertainty on the Dodgers pitching staff right now than at any other point in the season. And given the busy schedule, the next four weeks are likely to get messy and see even more pitching turnover.