The Dodgers rotation is hurting, but help is on the way

The Dodgers focused on building up enviable starting pitching depth over the offseason, and it's a good thing that they did. As May approaches, Los Angeles has just four starters left in their rotation. One of them — Tyler Glasnow — might not be there for much longer, either, as a trip to the injured list is a possibility for him per manager Dave Roberts, after he was removed from Sunday's start against the Pirates with shoulder discomfort. 

It's worth thinking about, as well, that the Dodgers' bullpen already leads the league in innings, and their starters have thrown the fewest of them, as noted by MLB — Tuesday's start against the Mariners will be handed by the pen, as well, which will bump that lead up even further. Things simply can't go on like this forever, especially not in the crowded National League West, but they also might not have to for long.

Here's a breakdown of the current state of Dodgers' starting pitching, following Glasnow's removal. Help is on the way, eventually.

Yoshinobu Yamamato

The 26-year-old Yamamato is coming into his own at just the right time. While limited to just 90 innings in his rookie 2024 campaign thanks to a rotator cuff strain that took 86 days of his summer away from him, he has shown no worrisome signs early on in ‘25, and leads the majors in both ERA and ERA+ while putting up better peripherals than his already impressive rookie figures.

Roki Sasaki

Sasaki is healthy, as well, but he's also struck out 20 batters against 18 walks, and overall seems pretty lucky to have a 3.55 ERA. It was always going to take some time for the rookie, in his first season away from NPB, to adjust to MLB, however, so, as long as Sasaki is healthy, there are plenty of reasons to stay optimistic