That is without mentioning future Hall-of-Famer Clayton Kershaw, who is continuing to recover from lower-body injuries.
Looking at their season as a whole, it would seem that Los Angeles is doing just fine. However, a deeper dive into their statistics reveals an ominous pattern. Through 25 games, the Dodgers have yet to have a pitcher start on “standard rest” (4 days), according to MLB Network podcast host Jon Morosi.
There are a few reasons as to why this is the case, injuries chief among them. Ohtani continues to work his way back onto the pitcher’s mound. Snell, on the other hand, experienced a setback with his shoulder injury while playing catch earlier this week. Glasnow is dealing with a cramp in his right leg that ended his start against the Rangers on April 20th.
In the midst of all their pitching injuries, Los Angeles is happy that Yamamoto is dominating in the early part of the season. If rookie sensation Roki Sasaki can find some consistency, the Dodgers’ problems wouldn’t seem so bad.
At the end of the day, the Dodgers are overly resting their starters in an effort to avoid injuries. When they have all of their arms back in the regular rotation, they will have one of MLB’s best groups. The only thing truly standing in their way, it seems, is poor injury luck.
The peculiar rest strategy that the Dodgers are deploying so far this year is against the norm. However, they might be the only team with the talent to pull to off.
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a dangerous team when whole, and all they need to do now is tread water until their best arms return.
