Tyler Glasnow unlikely to return in 2024 due to elbow sprain

Dodgers right-hander Tyler Glasnow is “highly unlikely” to pitch again this season, according to manager Dave Roberts, after scans on Saturday afternoon revealed a right elbow sprain.

Glasnow had been scheduled to throw a two-inning simulated game at Truist Park on Friday, but his elbow pain flared up about 20 pitches into his warmup, forcing him to cancel the sim game and prompting the need for an MRI exam. The oft-injured Glasnow was in the midst of perhaps the best full season of his career, with a 3.49 ERA and 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings across 22 starts and 134 innings.

The 31-year-old Glasnow, who signed a five-year, $136.5 million extension after being acquired from the Rays this offseason, was brought in to be one of the top pitchers in the rotation. The right-hander surpassed his career high in innings with 134 innings this season and made his first All-Star team in the first half, but he landed on the injured list in mid-August a day before making his scheduled start against the Cardinals in St. Louis.

Over the course of his career, Glasnow has dealt with right elbow and forearm injuries that have cut his season short. But after undergoing Tommy John surgery in ‘22, Glasnow and the Dodgers were confident those issues were behind him.

With Glasnow unlikely to be available in the postseason, the Dodgers will need others to step up in the rotation. Jack Flaherty and Yoshinobu Yamamoto are the team’s best two options. Behind them, there are some real question marks.

Clayton Kershaw and Gavin Stone are still recovering from their respective injuries and it’s unclear when or if they’ll return this year, although the Dodgers are hopeful Kershaw could be back in the postseason even though Roberts said he “doesn’t see how it’s on the table” for the left-hander to return during the regular season.

Knack’s latest audition, however, didn’t go as planned. The Braves got to Knack in the first inning of Friday’s series opener for a run, but the right-hander really struggled in a 44-pitch second inning, in which he allowed a pair of two-run homers to Gio Urshela and Jorge Soler.

In the end, Knack allowed five runs on seven hits and lasted just two innings, the shortest outing of his career. The Dodgers’ bullpen, which has been relied upon heavily amidst the flurry of injuries to the starting rotation, kept Los Angeles in the game but the damage had been done.

“My message to Landon on the bench was that it happened, he’s had nothing but good outings for us. This was a bad one. Let’s wash it and move on,” Roberts said. “I think he’s definitely put his name in the conversation. I think the way he has pitched this year, he’s going to get a good look the next couple of weeks to see if he continues to earn that opportunity.”