Will Dodgers Bring Shohei Ohtani Back as Pitcher With Mounting Injuries?

Tyler Glasnow is back on the injured list.

The right-handed starting pitcher exited two consecutive starts with different injuries, landing on the 15-day IL on Monday. Glasnow was removed from his start against the Texas Rangers with a leg cramp, and most recently, for right shoulder discomfort against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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Glasnow is the 12th Dodgers’ pitcher currently on the injured list. The absence of Glasnow and two-time Cy Young pitcher Blake Snell leaves a void in the starting rotation.

For some, two-way player Shohei Ohtani seems like the perfect solution to revive the rotation. Ohtani has yet to make his debut on the mound with the Dodgers as he recovers from arthroscopic surgery he underwent in November.

But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the influx of injuries will not expedite Ohtani’s pitching progression.

“No, no, not at all,” Roberts said. “I think Shohei is separate as far as the process. I think it was Gomer (GM Brandon Gomes) who said it yesterday maybe – it’s a week-to-week thing and I just don’t really know. But the availability of the other pitchers has no bearing on Shohei’s program.”

Ohtani was initially expected to make his Dodgers pitching debut early this season. However, his November surgery has delayed the long-awaited outing.

As Ohtani’s workload began increasing at the starting of the season, Los Angeles decided to slow down his progression to prevent another injury. Now, there is no determined date for when Ohtani will return to the mound.

Without Ohtani available to pitch, the Dodgers rotation only has four healthy starting pitchers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki, and Dustin May were the last three standing, but Tony Gonsolin joined them this week for his first start in 20 months.

The return of Gonsolin added an extra arm to the Dodgers' rotation as the organization navigates the recovery of the injured pitchers.

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