I’ve been off the grid since Friday, as I was in Santa Monica for a wedding this weekend. I was fortunate enough to be a groomsman, which made the weekend that much better!
Aidan, I know you’re one of my subscribers, so if you’re reading this article this morning, that was one hell of a weekend!
Now that I’m back, it’s time to get caught up on the latest news surrounding the Dodgers. There were a couple of pretty big injury updates the last few days, so let’s get to those.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto to begin rehab assignment this week
By far the biggest news from the weekend is the fact that Yoshinobu Yamamoto is set to appear in a game this week. The plan is for him to make his first start on Wednesday for Oklahoma City.
Yamamoto is still being built back up, so the plan is for him to pitch only two innings. If that goes well, he’ll probably increase to 3-4 innings for his next start. Ideally you’d like him built to go five innings, so maybe one start after that would make sense. The Dodgers could opt for only two minor league outings, but three seems to be the most realistic.
Based on this timeline, it seems fair to expect Yamamoto back around the second week of September. If he returns around then, he’ll have enough time to make a couple of starts before the end of the regular season.
Prior to the injury, Yamamoto was off to a fantastic rookie campaign. In 14 starts, Yamamoto posted a 2.92 ERA, 2.68 FIP and 1.07 WHIP. He was as good as advertised. He also posted a 27.9 percent strikeout rate while having a walk rate of only 5.6 percent.
Adding Yamamoto back to LA’s rotation will be a massive boost for the Dodgers down the stretch and most importantly in October.
Tyler Glasnow not expected to return soon
Considering the season ends in a little over a month, time is slowly starting to run out for Tyler Glasnow. Remember when the Dodgers said he could have pitched in St. Louis and would only miss the minimum 15 days? Yeah, we need to stop listening to them.
Over the weekend, Glasnow played catch at Dodger Stadium. According to reports, it will be a “slow process” for him. Again, considering there is only a month left of the regular season, that isn’t ideal!
It’s at least good that he’s playing catch, but he’ll have to check so many more boxes. He still will need to throw bullpen sessions and then to live hitters. Once he does all that, you’d assume he’ll need at least one rehab start. Based on the timeline, he’ll likely need two starts considering it’ll be at least a month he’ll miss.
If you want optimism, Glasnow said that his elbow feels good.
I want to believe that Glasnow will return at some point this season, but time is really not on his side. You obviously want him to make a couple of starts before the season ends, meaning he’s gotta return by September 20-22 at the latest. That timeline gives him four weeks.
Brusdar Graterol close to rehab assignment
Here’s something I’m sure you weren’t expecting. It sounds like we may see Brusdar Graterol return in 2024 after all.
It certainly didn’t look like that when he exited a game in early August with a hamstring injury. Personally, I thought his season was over. Luckily, the injury wasn’t as serious as initially expected and he’s been ramping back up.
Graterol threw a bullpen session over the weekend and is expected to begin a rehab assignment this weekend. It’s safe to expect at least a couple of appearances there, maybe over the course of a week. Based on this timeline, it sounds like we could see Graterol return as early as two weeks from now.
Again, considering most of us expected his season to be over, this is incredible news.
Tony Gonsolin could return????
Remember Tony Gonsolin? He’s been out for all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Pretty much ever since he underwent the surgery, the plan was for him to miss all of 2024 and return fully healthy in 2025. Well, it looks like there’s a small chance we could actually see him return next month!
Gonsolin threw off a mound at Dodger Stadium on Sunday and will throw to hitters on Wednesday.
Like I mentioned earlier with Glasnow, a lot still has to happen to make a return. Gonsolin throwing to hitters is a great next step, but we gotta see how he comes out of it. Considering he hasn’t pitched in over a year, he would need a solid amount of rehab outings.
However, something that could benefit Gonsolin is him being potentially used as a reliever. The Dodgers probably won’t need him in the rotation, so if they choose to build him up to only one inning, that could potentially speed up the process.
Personally, I’m not expecting Gonsolin to return this season, but it’s great to hear how far along he is in his recovery and that it’s even a possibility.
I only have one 4-letter word for the Dodgers Starting Rotation- No not one of those #$%#$%$# words
It is 'HOPE.'
Can't do anything else. Not holding my breath.
I remember when Buehler was a possibility last year and look what’s happened since. Not optimistic about Gonsolin this year.