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The Los Angeles Dodgers took strong steps this offseason to fix what was their biggest weakness in 2024, starting pitching, but even their big moves might not be enough to solve their problems.
After dealing with persistent injuries to their starting pitchers on the way to winning the World Series last season, the Dodgers brought in top arms like Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to strengthen their rotation for 2025. However, less than 30 games into the season, the team finds itself scrambling for healthy pitchers again.
On Monday, the Dodgers placed Tyler Glasnow on the injured list with a shoulder issue, adding him to an already lengthy list of injured starters, including Snell, Tony Gonsolin, Clayton Kershaw, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan.
With so many key pitchers sidelined, the Dodgers are turning to a mix of relievers to help get them through this rough stretch. However, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports that manager Dave Roberts might ask the team’s two Japanese pitchers, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki, to take on an even bigger role.
The Dodgers have been keeping both Yamamoto and Sasaki on a once-a-week pitching schedule, a setup that mirrors their workload back in Japan. But with a grueling stretch of 10 games in 10 days and 19 games in 20 days starting this weekend, the team might need to push these pitchers to work more frequently.
While Sasaki has struggled with command since making his MLB debut this season, Yamamoto has been nothing short of spectacular. The right-hander leads all of MLB with an impressive 1.06 ERA through six starts in 2025. Asking him to pitch more often could disrupt his rhythm, especially considering how well he’s been performing so far.
With the Dodgers harboring strong World Series ambitions, the team may hesitate to overextend their only healthy ace this early in the season. However, given the growing list of injuries, even this star-studded team may be running out of options to get through the next few weeks. Only time will tell how Roberts and the Dodgers manage to navigate this challenging period.