In Snell's absence, Wrobleski's tough night could shape Dodgers' plans

WASHINGTON -- The Dodgers have just begun to test their starting pitching depth for the 2025 campaign, and there are already some question marks as to how the team will weather the absence of Blake Snell.

Justin Wrobleski was hit hard for eight runs across five innings in his first big league start of the season, and the Dodgers fell to the Nationals, 8-2, on Tuesday night. Los Angeles has lost four of its last five -- and three in a row -- and needs a win in Wednesday's series finale at Nationals Park to avoid being swept for the first time this season.

"This one’s tough. It hurts. It sucks," said Wrobleski, who's ranked as MLB Pipeline's No. 11 Dodgers prospect. "When you’re a competitor, you don’t want this to happen. But at the end of the day, it’s just about doing your job when you’re called upon, and today I didn’t do a good job of that."

Snell was originally lined up to start on Tuesday, but he hit the 15-day injured list with left shoulder inflammation on Sunday, retroactive to April 3. The Dodgers got encouraging news after the 32-year-old left-hander met with team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache: Snell will be shut down from throwing until Monday, but he's not expected to need any medical intervention beyond rest.

Even before that development, the team was optimistic that Snell would not miss too much time. But that still leaves a handful of starts to cover in his absence. Before Tuesday's game, manager Dave Roberts stopped short of saying that Wrobleski would remain in the rotation while Snell was sidelined, and the rookie left-hander's performance against the Nationals did not do him any favors.

"Obviously, losing Blake for whatever period of time, certain guys are going to get opportunities," Roberts said. "You want them to try to not to put too much pressure on a particular outing, and go out there and just kind of compete and get outs and let the results take care of themselves."

Righty Landon Knack, who will be recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to start on Wednesday, is another candidate to bridge the gap to Snell's return. The Dodgers will need to make a corresponding move, which could potentially mean optioning Wrobleski.

But the team also has to consider how the rotation will line up next week, when L.A. will again need starters for the final two games of the upcoming homestand against the Cubs and Rockies.

Both Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki are on a once-a-week schedule and should get the ball on Friday and Saturday, meaning Tyler Glasnow and Dustin May are lined up for Sunday and Monday. That leaves two games to cover on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wrobleski has Minor League options, but if the Dodgers send him down, he'll have to stay in the Minors for a minimum of 15 days, unless he is recalled to replace an injured player. That would mean he's out of the picture for the upcoming homestand.

That wrinkle doesn't mean the Dodgers' hands are tied -- they have other options -- but it does factor into the decision.

"It plays a role," Roberts said. "I think that we feel good about this weekend coming up as far as where the rotation is at. … Fortunately, we've got some time before we have to think through that. But yeah, the Wrobo decision has to be tonight, obviously, and we'll kind of circle up and talk to the player and figure out what's best for us in the short term."

The Dodgers may only need one additional traditional starter next week, as there's an off-day in between the homestand and the beginning of the next road trip. They could run a bullpen game one day, depending on how they come out of the weekend.

In addition to Wrobleski and Knack, Los Angeles could consider recalling Bobby Miller. The 26-year-old right-hander wasn't an option for the series in Washington because he pitched for Oklahoma City on Sunday. He's allowed three runs in 9 2/3 innings (2.79 ERA) for the Comets through two appearances, striking out seven against eight walks.

In all likelihood, Tony Gonsolin (back tightness) will probably not be ready while Snell is sidelined. Gonsolin is building up to a starter's workload with Oklahoma City and should need at least three more rehab outings to ramp up to five or six innings, which is where the Dodgers would like him to be before a return to the club.