The Dodgers are making another familiar shuffle on the mound, and this time it sends Eric Lauer out of the rotation and into the bullpen.
Lauer, who has gone 7-1 since joining Los Angeles in a May trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, is set to lose his starting job when Tyler Glasnow comes off the injured list before his start Tuesday in Atlanta. For Dave Roberts, the move gives the Dodgers a multi-inning option out of the bullpen while Glasnow works his way back into the rotation.
It also gives Los Angeles another possible bridge for Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani may not need another tune-up after facing a live hitter Saturday at Dodger Stadium, where he threw 30 pitches across six simulated plate appearances against Dodgers catcher Will Smith, who is returning from a neck injury.
Roberts said Sunday at Dodger Stadium that Ohtani will throw a bullpen during the team’s road trip and then the club will decide whether he needs to face live hitters again before doing so in a game.
In theory, the Dodgers could have Ohtani back in their rotation after their three-game series against the Detroit Tigers next weekend.
The change is hardly foreign territory for this club, or for the pitchers involved. Last year, Glasnow missed all of May and June, and when he returned, right-hander Ben Casparius moved back to the bullpen.
Lauer has also spent plenty of time in a swing role. He worked mostly out of Toronto’s rotation from May through August last season and carried a 2.76 ERA until a rough second-to-last start.
He was just as useful once moved out of the rotation. During Toronto’s run to the 2025 American League pennant, Lauer didn’t allow a run over his final 8.1 postseason innings, including 5.2 scoreless innings against the Dodgers in the World Series.
The Dodgers have leaned into that kind of flexibility all year. Clayton Kershaw and Roki Sasaki were used as relievers in October, even though Sasaki signed in Los Angeles to start and Kershaw remains a future Hall of Famer with a 3.36 ERA in the regular season.
So now Lauer appears headed back to a role he knows well, and one the Dodgers clearly trust. Meanwhile, Glasnow and Ohtani are moving toward what Los Angeles hopes will be another extended postseason push.
In Other News...
Diamondbacks Turn To Former Dodgers Fill-In As Infield Trouble Grows
Arizona has dipped into familiar territory for help in the infield, bringing in Santiago Espinal on a minor-league deal as the Diamondbacks try to steady a roster hit by injuries. The move comes after a rough run for Espinal in his brief initial stint with the Dodgers in early 2026, when his bat never got going and he was designated for assignment twice.
The fit is obvious enough from the Dodgers perspective, since they know exactly what the veteran utility type can and cannot provide. Arizona needs coverage with Ketel Marte on the 10-day injured list after knee inflammation, following a stretch on the restricted list, and Espinal gives them another option while they sort through the rest of the infield picture. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Fans Got An Eye-Catching First Look At Cam Leiter
The Dodgers farm system delivered a little bit of everything on the mound and at the plate, but the most eye-catching debut came from Cam Leiter, who wasted no time making an impression for Great Lakes. In his first High-A start, Leiter carved through hitters for seven strikeouts across 3 1/3 scoreless innings, the kind of opening line that tends to get attention quickly in an organization always watching for pitching depth.
Elsewhere, Jackson Ferris turned in a solid five-inning outing while allowing one run in Oklahoma Citys Triple-A win, and Chris Newell provided the biggest swing of the night with a grand slam in Tulsas one-run loss. There were other notable contributions across the Dodgers minor league clubs, but Leiters debut stood out as the sort of performance that makes a player worth tracking the next time the farm system scoreboard lights up. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Just Got A Kobe Release That Feels Pure Los Angeles
Nikes new Kobe Collection has already found its way into the Dodgers clubhouse, giving the team a very Los Angeles kind of off-field moment. The brand gifted players merchandise tied to the line, including the Kobe 5 Protro and Air Force 1 Protro shoes, and the club shared video of the unboxing as guys like Blake Snell and Tucker took it in. The timing fits, too, since the collection was released Aug. 15 with early access at the Mamba League Invitational, blending Kobe Bryants legacy with the city he still symbolizes.
For the Dodgers, it was less about a simple apparel drop and more about a piece of local culture arriving in the middle of the season. The collections design language is built around Bryant and Los Angeles, which is why the reaction inside the room mattered, even in a short clip. It is the kind of crossover that resonates in this market, where basketball and baseball are always brushing up against each other, and where anything connected to Kobe tends to carry a little extra weight. [Read more 🡒]