Dodgers Surprisingly Lose Starting Pitcher to Elbow Injury, Activate Blake Treinen

The Los Angeles Dodgers are down to four starting pitchers.

On Wednesday, hours before their game against the St. Louis Cardinals, the Dodgers surprisingly placed left-handed pitcher Eric Lauer on the injured list with left elbow inflammation.

Replacing him on the active roster is right-handed pitcher Blake Treinen, who was activated off the 60-day injured list. To make room for Treinen on the 40-man roster, right-hander Will Klein was transferred to the 60-day IL.

The Dodgers have activated RHP Blake Treinen from the injured list and placed LHP Eric Lauer on the injured list with left elbow inflammation. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers added RHP Will Klein to the 60-day injured list.
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) September 3, 2026

Dodgers Place Eric Lauer on Injured List

Lauer had his worst outing as a Dodger on Tuesday, allowing seven runs over three innings with just two strikeouts.

After dominating early in his Dodgers tenure following a May trade from the Toronto Blue Jays, Lauer has struggled since the start of August.

In five appearances (four starts) in that time, Lauer has an 8.41 ERA over 20.1 innings.

Before that, in his nine appearances (eight starts) as a Dodger, he was 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA over 51.2 innings.

How Will the Dodgers Replace Eric Lauer in the Starting Rotation?

Lauer will now miss at least the next two weeks, leaving the Dodgers with four starters: Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow.

Justin Wrobleski, who was activated off the injured list on Tuesday, is currently in the bullpen as a multi-inning option. It remains to be seen if the team attempts to stretch him back out with less than a month until the postseason (where he'd be used in the bullpen).

Manager Dave Roberts said that the team planned on calling up a spot starter this weekend (before the news of Lauer's injury was announced). That will likely be right-handed pitcher Emmet Sheehan, who's remained stretched out in Triple-A.

Another option is right-hander Gavin Stone, who has dominated in Triple-A, as well.

Dodgers Bring Back Blake Treinen

As for Treinen, he's been on the injured list since June due to right elbow inflammation.

Across 29 appearances before the injury, he had a 3.52 ERA with 25 strikeouts over 23 innings.

He'll now have just under four weeks to ramp back up for the postseason, where the team will likely hope to be able to use him in high-leverage spots.

Will Klein Moved to 60-Day IL, Out for Regular Season

Klein's move to the 60-day IL rules him out for the remainder of the regular season. He's still technically an option for the postseason, but it's unclear if he'll be healthy and in a good spot to pitch in a month.

The right-hander last pitched on July 31, which was his fifth consecutive appearance allowing a run. Across 36 appearances this season, he has a 3.67 ERA with 49 strikeouts over 41.2 innings.

He's dealing with bone chips in his elbow.

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