Dodgers Manager Hints at Starting Pitcher Losing His Job Despite Strong Results

The left-handed swingman might swing back to the bullpen.

Jun 2, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Eric Lauer's run in the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting rotation has been longer and more successful than perhaps anyone expected.

Lauer was designated for assignment on May 11 by the Toronto Blue Jays with a 1-5 record and 6.69 ERA. Six days later, the Dodgers acquired him for cash — typically the sign of a low-risk acquisition.

Flash forward to July, and Lauer is 3-0 with a 2.88 ERA in six games, all but five of which have come as a starter. In the other game, he entered in relief of an opener and tossed six hitless innings out of the bullpen against the Minnesota Twins.

It's a track record strong enough to hold down a rotation spot in almost any situation — except the Dodgers'.

Right-hander Tyler Glasnow and left-hander Blake Snell are on the injured list, and the Dodgers are hoping to have both pitchers back for the stretch run. If and when they return — all other things being equal — Lauer would head to the bullpen.

“Eric coming over here knew that this was the deal, right?” Roberts said. “Until [Snell and Glasnow] get back. We just don’t know when. He’s just got to stay focused on doing his job. Then when that time comes we’ll see what happens.”

Lauer, 31, has spent time with the Dodgers, Blue Jays, Pittsburgh Pirates, Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres since he was drafted in 2016. He's shifted between the rotation and bullpen over nine MLB seasons.

Lauer recently told the Los Angeles Times that the Dodgers figured out his style of communication faster than any team he's pitched for, which contributed directly to his fast start.

“I’ve always had a really hard time explaining myself and what I do, because I think a little differently,” Lauer said. “When I was with the Brewers, it was running joke that it was ‘the language of Lauer,’ because I would describe things so differently and feel things so differently that, if you weren’t close to me and you didn’t know how I operate, it was very hard to understand what I was trying to do."

In effect, the Dodgers can cross off one possible item on their trade deadline wish list. Lauer has given them the flexibility to shift him to a left-handed long relief role without looking outside the organization for a southpaw between now and Aug. 3.

In the meantime, he'll continue to be a vital piece of the team's six-man rotation.

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