The Los Angeles Dodgers were confident Tyler Glasnow would remain healthy this season despite some of his injury history, and that nearly came to be before more right elbow trouble upended matters.
Glasnow also missed time leading into and after the All-Star break due to lower back tightness, but was deemed relatively minor and doubled as an opportunity to provide a break amid being on track for a new career high in innings pitched.
Glasnow made four starts upon returning before going back on the 15-day injured list Aug. 16 due to right elbow tendinitis. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said at the time the decision was out of precaution, and Glasnow felt he could continue pitching.
That wound up marking the beginning of the end as Glasnow’s recovery went slower than anticipated. He did eventually progress to the point of facing batters, only to be shut down while warming up for the simulated game.
A subsequent MRI revealed Glasnow had a right elbow sprain that ended his year.
“It’s just like, exhausting, I guess. I’ve just done this so many times,” Glasnow said earlier this month. “I think it’s like, you go about it the first time, and you try to find other ways to prevent it the future. And that happens again, and you try to find more ways to prevent it, and it’s just kind of like over and over again.
“It’s extremely frustrating. I guess for me, sometimes it’s easier if you get a silver lining. This sucks. And I think this one is just a lot tougher just because I’ve done so many things in the past to try to stay healthy.
“And I think at the time now, I’m here, I wanted to come here to win a World Series and pitch in the postseason, and it’s like, right at the time where I’ve just been told I can’t do that. So this one sucks the most for sure.”
Will Tyler Glasnow need elbow surgery?
When Roberts relayed available details of Glasnow’s elbow injury, he said the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) was not damaged. That of course suggests Glasnow is avoiding what would be a second Tommy John surgery of his career.
But full specifics otherwise have not been revealed.
“Just all I’ve known, too, is an elbow sprain. I haven’t gotten a full rundown much, to be honest,” Glasnow said. “I’ve talked to (Dr. Keith) Meister, and then just have reports, kind of secondhand reports.”
Glasnow added he wasn’t certain of what treatment lied ahead or if he would need any sort of right elbow surgery.
“I think it’s just re-examine in a few weeks and then go from there. I think that’s what it’s more like just re-image, see if it’s healed, and then I think I’ll probably have to start throwing again or whatever,” Glasnow said.
“And just trust it again and see if it holds up.”
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