The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Eric Lauer on the 15-day injured list one day after his disastrous start against the St. Louis Cardinals.
He labored to the tune of 63 pitches over just three innings, allowing eight hits and seven earned runs in the process. The official diagnosis for Lauer is left elbow inflammation.
“It was an elbow, arm kind of thing, that he just didn’t feel good. And through the start, it was kind of showing itself a little bit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained. “He’s such a good competitor, I don’t think he was thrilled about going on the IL.
“But we just can’t carry a player, a pitcher, for five or six days who we can’t go to, right? I know it’s a few days of no throwing, and then we’ll sort of revisit in two weeks.”
The 31-year-old was already facing an uphill battle to make the postseason roster over some of the other left-handed relievers at the Dodgers’ disposal, and the injury certainly does not help his chances.
Still, Lauer was positioned to help the team out of the starting rotation down the stretch as they jockey for position in the National League standings. Outside of his last outing, Lauer has generally had a productive stint with the Dodgers.
The eight-year veteran has recorded a quality start in seven of his 12 outings with L.A. this season.
Dodgers’ options to replace Eric Lauer
The loss of Lauer leaves the Dodgers with four starters at the moment, although they still have a couple of potential options to turn to.
Emmet Sheehan appears to be in line for another opportunity with the Dodgers after an excellent performance in the Minors since being sent down to Triple-A.
The right-hander has posted a 1.50 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 24 strikeouts against seven walks in 18 innings while holding hitters to a .161 batting average.
Roki Sasaki is another candidate for the rotation once he recovers from the blister on his throwing hand. Sasaki’s progress is within the parameters the Dodgers are comfortable with for him to return as a starter, but the organization is still undecided on his role.
Finally, there is a slight possibility that Gavin Stone could make his long-awaited return in September. The 2024 standout has not pitched in a Major League game since Aug. 31, 2024, but has made four starts in the Minors since beginning his rehab assignment on Aug. 6.
The right-hander appears to still be building up, but did complete four innings on Aug. 26. Even so, Stone’s return does not appear to be the most likely scenario based on recent comments from Roberts.
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