The Los Angeles Dodgers lost Tyler Glasnow to the 15-day injured list in early May due to back spasms that surfaced during his start on May 6.
The initial expectation was that the right-hander would only be out a short amount of time, and Glasnow believed he could have pitched through the issue.
Glasnow had lower back tightness and discomfort as part of the symptoms, but MRI results didn’t show anything of concern. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts also said at the time the team only put Glasnow on the IL to be cautious and not risk making matters worse.
But despite the early optimism, Glasnow was eventually shut down from throwing in mid-May. Again, the expectation was that he would only rest for a few days before throwing again.
However, now one month later, Glasnow has yet to resume throwing and has not performed any baseball activities as he makes limited progress.
“Glass is not doing anything,” Roberts said. “Still just kind of hanging in there, not really any progress.”
Earlier this month, Glasnow was transferred to the 60-day IL, signaling a much longer return time. He is not eligible to be activated until Monday, July 6.
But given that he hasn’t thrown in roughly one month, Glasnow will not be able to return that early anyway. The 32-year-old will need to build his arm back up, similar to a normal Spring Training routine, and then go on what should be a longer rehab assignment.
Glasnow has dealt with back issues throughout his career, which he has attributed to his tall stature. He also dealt with something similar last season and said it’s unavoidable for him, but learned to take time off to prevent it from becoming a bigger issue.
The former All-Star was off to a strong start for the Dodgers this season, going 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA, 3.26 FIP, 0.83 WHIP, and 11.1 strikeouts per nine in 39.2 innings pitched across seven games.
Dodgers’ success without Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell
Without Glasnow and Blake Snell, the Dodgers have been forced to rely on their depth, and it’s worked out well. Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan, and Justin Wrobleski have all stepped up and performed at high levels for the club.
Roberts sees that as a silver lining for the team as they get to test some of their pitchers and give them opportunities they may not have had otherwise.
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