Pitcher injuries have been a constant problem for the Los Angeles Dodgers this season, and they are not going away anytime soon. This time the bad news is centered around Tyler Glasnow, who is dealing with a sprained elbow.
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Saturday that it is “highly unlikely” that Glasnow will pitch again this season.
This has to be especially frustrating for the Dodgers and Glasnow.
For Glasnow, it continues what has been a career-long struggle with injuries and cuts short yet another season. He has been in the major leagues for nine seasons and has never started more than 22 games in a single year.
He has topped the 20-start mark just two times and never pitched more than 134 innings. He has topped 100 innings just three times.
When healthy, Glasnow is one of the best pitchers in baseball and a dominant right-hander who could be a top-two starter on pretty much any team in baseball. He would be an ace on a lot of teams. If, that is, he could stay healthy.
The Dodgers acquired Glasnow this past offseason from the Tampa Bay Rays and then signed him to a five-year, $136.5 million contract extension.
Along with Glasnow, the Dodgers have also dealt with injuries to Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone, Walker Buehler and prized free-agent addition Yoshinobu Yamamoto throughout the season.
The Dodgers still have a 4.5-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the National League West race and still seem on track to win the division. The injuries to their pitching staff and the absence of Glasnow, however, will be a concern when they get to the playoffs.
