When the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired Tyler Glasnow in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays last December it was accompanied by signing him to a five-year, $136.5 million contract extension.
Glasnow has a history of right elbow trouble but he and the Dodgers were confident those issues were behind him after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2022.
Glasnow didn’t have any arm trouble in 2023 as he made 21 starts with a 3.53 ERA. That was followed by pitching to a 3.49 ERA through 22 starts with the Dodgers this year before right elbow tendinitis cut his season short.
His starts and 134 innings pitched with the Dodgers this past season were career highs, which is both parts encouraging and alarming. Glasnow may not be a pitcher who gives his team 200 innings in a season, nor would the Dodgers ask that of him. But they do need more availability from going forward, especially in October.
While it might seem counterintuitive, Glasnow is taking a new approach this offseason by keeping his right arm active with low intensity workouts while he lets the rest of his body rest, via Foul Territory:
“I think the only thing I’ll change this offseason is I’ll keep my arm going. I’ll do plyos, starting in November, and throw twice a week, probably the entire offseason. And as I ramp up to get back into spring in December, January and February, then I’ll start getting back into a normal thing. But I don’t think I’m going to take a long time off, or a couple months off throwing this year. I’m just going to keep going and try to get my tissue used to that workload.”
While Glasnow has his own history of arm troubles prior to joining the Dodgers, the organization as a whole needs to internally reevaluate how they approach keeping their pitchers healthy.
This season alone saw Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan and Gavin Stone, among others, have their seasons end due to injuries to their throwing arm. Not to mention Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May in 2023.
Tyler Glasnow will be ready for 2025
Glasnow made his last start of the 2024 season on Aug. 11 as he was placed on the injured list soon after. There was uncertainty over whether or not he would need to undergo arm surgery for the second time in three years.
His elbow healed on its own and is now “pretty much fully healed”, which is the outcome that Glasnow and the Dodgers were hoping for.
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
