Dodgers' Tyler Glasnow not participating in scheduled simulated game due to 'additional discomfort'

ATLANTA — Friday was supposed to be an important day in the Dodgers’ plan to prepare Tyler Glasnow for their postseason rotation.

It was true. But not in a positive way.

Glasnow was scheduled to face hitters in a simulated game setting at Truist Park, perhaps the final step before coming off the injured list and rejoining the Dodgers’ starting rotation next week (in time to make three starts before the end of the regular season).

He warmed up, the pitch was ready and the batters were gathered. But Glasnow stopped the game before throwing a pitch to the batters after feeling the same “discomfort” in his arm that landed him on the injured list four weeks ago.

“It’s obviously a setback,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I don’t know what it means for the next few days. I just know we’re going to reevaluate it and see how he feels in the next few days, see where we can get back to pitching.”

Roberts said Glasnow had thrown “23, 24” pitches in his warm-up when “it started to not feel good.”

Glasnow has pitched a career-high 134 innings this season, but only 31 of those have come since late June. He spent time on the injured list with lower back soreness, then returned to the injured list after four starts with elbow tendinitis.

Roberts said he expects Glasnow to run tests on his arm to see if that diagnosis has changed.

The Dodgers’ playoff rotation outlook, however, could be seriously compromised if Glasnow is unable to return.

“It’s certainly not helpful and positive. But, again, we’ll see how he does tomorrow,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly not dead. Even today, I thought we made the right decision. If he didn’t feel good enough to continue, there was no point in pushing today.”

Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior acknowledged there is little time left for Glasnow to come back from a loss and be ready for the playoffs.

“I don’t know if we have any room left. It’s unfortunate,” Prior said. “I can’t really say where we are on anything because I really don’t know other than not pitching today is a concern and a red flag. We’ll see where we are tomorrow and we’ll have more information. Maybe it’s a setback and we can continue. But there’s also a chance it’s not and that would be devastating.”

The Dodgers have three key starting pitchers on the disabled list — Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone — and just four healthy starters — trade deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (who just returned this week after three months on the injured list with a rotator cuff injury), Walker Buehler (who has been inconsistent) and right-hander Bobby Miller (who has struggled).

Those injuries don’t include a quartet of young pitchers who have undergone major arm surgeries in the past 14 months — Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan and River Ryan.

Ohtani Field

The Dodgers didn’t hesitate to answer when asked if Shohei Ohtani could pitch this season, perhaps in the playoffs if they make a deep run.

“There’s no other world where he’s going to pitch for us in the playoffs,” general manager Brandon Gomes said last month.

But Roberts remains cautious.

“The question I was asked was, is it a possibility? Anything is possible,” Roberts said of a radio interview he gave this week. “We still have a lot of work to do to get to October and get through it. I hope that’s what motivates him to rehab. But the chances of that happening are very slim. But they’re not zero. That was my only concern.”

Roberts said he hasn’t had any discussions with Ohtani about it and that if he had, “the conversation would be, ‘Get it out of your head.'”

Ohtani has pitched from the mound a few times, most recently throwing about 25 pitches. But Prior said Ohtani is still at least two weeks away from facing hitters in a live workout.

“Never say never,” Prior said when asked about Roberts’ comments.

The Dodgers’ plan with Ohtani was for him to shut down his pitching program when the playoffs began, eliminating the possibility that the Dodgers could lose their most dangerous hitter for the postseason due to an injury suffered in a bullpen workout or live batting practice. Roberts acknowledged that would have to change if Ohtani were to be a pitching option.

“I still maintain that the door – it’s not a 50/50 chance,” Roberts said.

KELLY’S REHABILITATION

Veteran reliever Joe Kelly pitched a scoreless inning for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday night in the first game of a short minor league injury rehab assignment.

Kelly walked one and struck out one batter, throwing 17 pitches in his inning Thursday. He is expected to make one more rehab appearance with OKC before rejoining the Dodgers. Kelly is on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.

ALSO

Stone (shoulder) is expected to begin a throwing program this weekend. …

Gonsolin (Tommy John surgery) is expected to make a second rehab start with OKC on Sunday.

FOLLOWING

Dodgers (RHP Jack Flaherty, 12-6, 2.86 ERA) vs. Braves (LHP Chris Sale, 16-3, 2.38 ERA), Saturday, 4:20 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Originally published: September 13, 2024 at 3:54 p.m.