Tyler Glasnow lasted just one inning into today’s start against the Pirates, as the Dodgers right-hander left the mound while taking his warm-up pitches before the beginning of the second frame. The Dodgers officially announced that Glasnow left the game due to discomfort in his throwing shoulder. Following the game, Glasnow told the Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters that he’s been dealing with some shoulder soreness recently, calling it a side effect of mechanical changes he’s made to try and reduce stress on his elbow. Manager Roberts said an IL stint for Glasnow is “certainly a possibility,” though more tests will be done before the club makes a decision.
This would be an ominous situation for any pitcher, yet it is particularly troublesome in Glasnow’s case given his long injury history. Glasnow hasn’t been sidelined with a specific shoulder-related issue since way back in his 2016 rookie season, yet the righty has missed big chunks of his career due to a Tommy John surgery, a severe oblique strain, a forearm strain, and two elbows strains. The most recent of those elbow strains came just last season, as Glasnow didn’t pitch after August 11 and subsequently missed out on the Dodgers’ entire playoff run.
Glasnow’s elbow sprain cut short what had been the healthiest season of his entire career. He tossed a career-best 134 innings in 2024, while posting a 3.49 ERA, 32.2% strikeout rate, and 6.7% walk rate. Glasnow had a 3.71 ERA in four starts and 17 innings prior to today’s abbreviated outing, with a much higher walk rate and a fastball that’s been a mile per hour slower than his 2024 velocity (though that drop isn’t necessarily a huge concern this early in a season). This is actually the second straight start that Glasnow has made an early exit; leg cramps forced him out during the fifth inning of his last outing on April 20.
Even if just as a precautionary measure, it would seem like Glasnow is probably headed to the 15-day injured list, creating yet another wrinkle in the revolving door that is the Dodgers’ rotation. Roberts announced just earlier today that Tony Gonsolin was expected to be activated from the 15-day IL to start Wednesday’s game, marking Gonsolin’s long-awaited return to action after he underwent Tommy John surgery late in the 2023 season. Gonsolin was already replacing Blake Snell, who went on the shelf due to shoulder inflammation.
Los Angeles has been dealing with a seemingly unending list of pitching injuries in recent years, though the team’s sheer volume of available arms (and its star-studded lineup) has continued to keep the Dodgers on the winning track. They’ll have to dip into that depth again if Glasnow is out of action, though it will still be a couple of weeks until Clayton Kershaw is eligible to be activated from the 60-day IL. Kershaw is set for two Triple-A rehab starts this coming week as the future Hall-of-Famer is hopefully in the final ramp-up stages towards his 2025 debut.