The Los Angeles Dodgers have spent the season testing their depth like a team that doesn’t believe in bad luck. And so far, the pitching staff has held together with tape and hope. But there’s finally some real news on Tyler Glasnow, and it’s about as straightforward as it gets for a guy who’s spent more time on the IL than most beat writers care to count.
Glasnow has started playing catch, per MLB.com. The team is optimistic he won’t suffer another setback, which feels like the baseball equivalent of knocking on wood every single day. He went on the IL earlier this season with back spasms, and the Dodgers have been careful. Really careful. Maybe too careful for a team chasing another October run.
Before the injury, Glasnow looked like the ace they’d hoped for when they traded for him. He made seven starts, went 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA, and piled up 49 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. When he’s right, he’s still one of the nastiest pitchers in the sport. The problem is the “when he’s right” part.
Injury History Follows Glasnow Everywhere
This is a guy who’s been in the majors for 11 seasons and has only made more than 20 starts twice. Both of those came recently — 21 in 2023 with the Rays, then 22 last year in his first season with the Dodgers. That 2024 campaign was actually his healthiest in years, and he still only made 22 starts. For context, that’s barely two-thirds of a full season.
His career win total sits at 46. Do the math and that’s about four wins per year. The ERA is a solid 3.69, so it’s not a talent issue. It’s a durability issue, plain and simple. This time it’s back spasms. Last time it was something else. The pattern is the story.
Glasnow described the back issue to the LA Times in pretty plain terms. “It’s uncomfortable,” he said. “When I get into my load, something feels weird. The more I go, the more it starts to aggravate it. Generally, before I start to throw, as long as it’s completely gone, it gets over the hump. It’s gone. And then I can get back to full speed. I just feel like I haven’t gotten there yet.”
That last part is the one that sticks. He hasn’t gotten there yet. The Dodgers are hoping he does soon.
Bullpen Might Get a Boost Too
While we’re on the subject of pitchers coming back, Evan Phillips is close to returning. He’s finishing up a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. He’s thrown on back-to-back days and handled an up-down, which are the final checkboxes before a call-up. The thing is, Phillips is coming off Tommy John surgery and has only thrown 5.2 innings all season in 2025. That’s basically nothing.
But when he was right in 2023 and 2024, he saved 42 games for the Dodgers. He’s not a throwaway bullpen arm. He’s a legit late-inning option. If both Glasnow and Phillips can get healthy and stay that way for a month or two, the Dodgers pitching staff goes from “scraping by” to “dangerous again.” That’s a big if. But it’s the only one that matters right now.
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