While the Los Angeles Dodgers are currently outperforming their circumstances, they would gladly welcome Roki Sasaki, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, Tony Gonsolin and other members of the pitching staff back healthy and contributing.
Despite a sizable assortment of starters and bullpen arms out with injuries, the Dodgers still find themselves atop the National League West and are keeping pace with the best teams MLB has to offer.
The Dodgers have benefited greatly from the return of Clayton Kershaw and it should only get better from here as Emmet Sheehan and Shohei Ohtani get fully back up to speed.
With even more reinforcements hopefully coming down the pipeline soon, the Dodgers will be able to put together a rotation of their five or six best options.
Dodgers updates
Roki Sasaki
After being transferred to the 60-day injured list on Friday, Sasaki is not eligible to be activated until July 12. But doesn’t change his outlook this season, as the recovery is expected to be more of a long-term process anyhow.
“More procedural, and kind of the progression, it doesn’t affect that at all,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said regarding Sasaki being moved to the 60-day IL.
Sasaki was shut down from throwing on June 15, but he was already throwing plyo balls the next day.
He continued to move in the right direction by resuming a throwing program on Friday.
“Yeah, he played catch today. I don’t know if it was 60, 90 feet with the baseball,” Roberts said. “So that was a bonus, that was a plus. I chatted with the briefly afterward, he was excited.”
Saski is now able to throw pain-free, which is a positive development considering the initial uncertainty about him returning this season.
Sasaki played catch on Saturday as well.
Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell
Glasnow and Snell were among the Dodgers’ first casualties this season and have had very eventful attempts at rehabbing their injuries.
It required a lot of precautions, but both are well on their way to returning to action this season. Glasnow will go out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City in the coming days, while Snell continues throwing bullpen sessions.
“Tyler is going to throw Sunday, and my thought is, my guess is it’ll probably be two innings. Tyler is going to throw two innings for OKC,” Roberts said.
“And then Blake is going to throw a ‘pen here in the next few days.”
Tony Gonsolin
Gonsolin being transferred to the 60-day IL was another recent transaction from the Dodgers. He was initially placed on the 15-day injured list with right elbow discomfort and has not yet picked up a ball.
Roberts said the move should not come as a surprise given the Dodgers needed room on their 40-man roster and the fact that they don’t expect Gonsolin to be healthy anytime soon.
“I think that with Tony, I don’t know if it does happen, I don’t know when his time of return is, but I think that just kind of his history, and not picking up a baseball and the progression to get him back, 40-man roster management, there’s just not really much margin or expectation for him to be back before that,” Roberts said.
“So it makes sense.”
Luis García
Luis García was placed on the 15-day IL, retroactive to May 29, with a right adductor strain. He faced batters for a second time on Friday.
“I think the next one, it could be another live or we could send him out (for a rehab assignment),” Roberts said. “He’s getting close, so I think that at any point in time, we could up the progression for Luis.”
The Dodgers decided next for García is beginning a rehab assignment Sunday with Single-A Rancho Cucamonga.
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