Gavin Stone reported to Los Angeles Dodgers Spring Training expected to be a full-go, but he suffered a setback early on in camp and had to be shut down.
Stone has been working his way back after missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from a complex right shoulder surgery that repaired his labrum, rotator cuff and capsule.
The good news is that even with the setback, Stone’s shoulder had no structural damage and just required rest.
Stone has now reached the point of throwing again and seems to be progressing well.
“The last I read a couple days ago, he’s had no symptoms,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s pain-free. He is throwing. I don’t know the distance or when he’s going to be off the mound, though.”
Stone still has a lengthy process before he can pitch in a game though. After being shut down, Stone has to go through a full process of building his arm back up.
“I would say he’s pre-Spring Training, or right at the beginning, because guys nowadays are a little further along than when Orel (Hershiser) was pitching,” Roberts said. “So, yeah, I would say it’s a little bit pre-Spring Training.”
Given the timeline, a return sometime in May could be feasible, as long as the right-hander faces no more setbacks and his build-up goes smoothly.
Stone last pitched 140.1 innings during the 2024 season, posting a 3.53 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116 strikeouts in what became a breakout season as he made himself a viable rotation option for the club.
The 27-year-old impressed in his 2026 Cactus League debut on Feb. 24 before experiencing right shoulder discomfort after throwing an ensuing bullpen session that prompted an MRI.
He was in competition for the fifth or sixth spot in the rotation before suffering the injury. Those places on the roster are currently occupied by Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski.
Dodgers excited by talented pitching staff
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman believes the club currently has the most gifted group of pitchers in his tenure.
With a rotation headlined by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani and Tyler Glasnow and a bullpen that consists of Edwin Díaz, Tanner Scott and Alex Vesia in the late innings, it’s easy to come to that conclusion.
The Dodgers also have numerous talented pitchers on the injured list, including Stone, Blake Snell, Evan Phillips, Brock Stewart and Brusdar Graterol.
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