The Los Angeles Dodgers were without Gavin Stone for the end of the 2024 season and all of 2025 after he underwent right shoulder surgery.
Stone had a partial labrum repair, partial rotator cuff repair, and capsule reconstruction, which was more extensive than they originally believed his surgery would need to be.
The 27-year-old spent the entire 2025 season rehabbing and recovering, and he entered 2026 Spring Training expecting to be a full participant with no major restrictions.
However, as Stone continued to ramp up and prepare for the season, he suffered a setback with his recovery and has been shut down for the time being, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“So right now, we put him on ice and are trying to let the soreness dissipate,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “Given everything he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure we push ‘Pause.’ So I don’t know when he’s gonna start throwing again. But it is a setback, unfortunately.
“With the shoulder soreness, we’re just trying to be thoughtful or mindful for Gavin. And right now, he’s trying to get everything to calm down.”
Stone is now slated to miss Opening Day. He was originally expected to be part of the rotation, or at least in the conversation, with Blake Snell sidelined as well.
The right-hander’s setback comes as a serious surprise to the Dodgers, but shoulder surgery and recovery from it is always tricky:
“It’s unexpected. I think that’s an honest answer,” Roberts said of the current setback. “He’s worked so hard to get back to where he was, pitching in a game. We’re excited about that. He threw the baseball really well. It was one inning, so it wasn’t too taxing. So to come back in his ‘pen and not feel good, that’s disappointing. And it’s not from lack of effort. Just disappointing.”
Stone last pitched 140.1 innings during the 2024 season before suffering his injury. He posted a 3.53 ERA in what became a breakout season as he made himself a viable rotation option for the club.
The Dodgers hope for Stone to return at some point this year, but the timeline is now unclear.
Dodgers rotation options without Gavin Stone
With Snell and Stone out to begin the season, the Dodgers have two open spots with three players currently in the mix to fill them: Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski and River Ryan.
That gives the Dodgers a rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Emmet Sheehan, along with two of Sasaki, Ryan and Wrobleski. The other pitcher could end up in the bullpen, or be optioned to Triple-A.
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