Frustration for Glasnow after latest injury: 'It's just kind of getting exhausting'

LOS ANGELES -- For the second straight outing, Tyler Glasnow was removed from his start early due to an injury.

After allowing back-to-back homers in the first inning of Sunday's series-clinching 9-2 victory over the Pirates, Glasnow returned to the mound to make his warmup throws in the second but was checked on by the training staff before facing a hitter.

The Dodgers announced that Glasnow's early departure was due to right shoulder discomfort. Manager Dave Roberts said a stint on the injured list is "certainly a possibility."

"We’ve got to get him to a place where we feel and he feels that when he takes the mound, he can go out there and be the guy that he’s capable of being," Roberts said. "Until he gets to that point, the IL is certainly a conversation."

Glasnow exited his previous start in Texas after four innings due to leg cramping. That move was made out of precaution, and per Roberts, Glasnow had an IV the day before Sunday's start in an effort to be fully hydrated and avoid a repeat incident.

While he was warming up for the second inning, Glasnow said "something grabbed" on his final throws. He had felt some on-and-off discomfort in his shoulder, which he attributed to the mechanical changes he had made to his delivery before the season.

"Just making a lot of changes, trying to figure out a way to stay healthy, I think some of the changes led to other things kind of taking over," Glasnow said, "and at this point, I'm just trying to figure out what to do. It's just extremely frustrating."

Once Glasnow was out of the game, Ben Casparius entered in relief and pitched into the fifth inning, striking out five and allowing just two base hits. Casparius threw 54 pitches across 3 2/3 scoreless frames, both season highs.

Casparius has been the Dodgers' primary length option, leading a Dodgers bullpen that has covered a Major League-high 121 1/3 innings. The rotation, on the other hand, has pitched the fewest innings in the Majors at 124 2/3.

Throughout his career, Glasnow has a history of arm injuries. His first season with the Dodgers ended prematurely due to right elbow tendinitis last August, leaving him on the sidelines for the team's championship run.

In addition to the tweaks to his delivery, Glasnow also made changes to his routine in between starts, all geared toward staying healthy.

"I'm just obsessed with trying to figure out what's going on," Glasnow said. "And it's been like this for a few years, and I'm trying to find a way to stay healthy, and I'll try to do whatever. I just don't really have an answer right now, and I think that's the most frustrating thing. It's not like a lack of trying.

"It's just kind of getting exhausting at this point. I know it's probably exhausting for a lot of people, for me especially, but like, I feel bad for my teammates. I feel bad for people watching. … It's a very frustrating situation for me. It’s hard."

If this latest injury forces Glasnow to miss time, it would be a blow to a Dodgers rotation that has already lost a frontline arm in Blake Snell, who was shut down from throwing last week when he had seemed to be making progress in his return from left shoulder inflammation.

Los Angeles is about to get an injured starter back, though. Tony Gonsolin made his final rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City last week and is lined up to start Wednesday, the finale of a three-game set vs. the Marlins.

Gonsolin has not pitched in a Major League game since Aug. 18, 2023, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He and Dustin May had been the leading candidates for the fifth-starter role during Spring Training, but Gonsolin hurt his back on a squat in the weight room and ended up beginning the season on the injured list.

The Dodgers have already had several pitching injuries early in the season, bringing back unfavorable memories of last year. Just as they did then, they'll have to lean on their depth and find a way to piece things together.

"It is what it is," Roberts said. "Guys are picking each other up. We’ve got a lot of good arms, a lot of talent and at the end of the day we’re winning a lot of baseball games, more than we’re losing. It’s not something we haven’t experienced before."