Eric Lauer’s window to carve out a postseason role for the Dodgers just got a lot tighter.
The left-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with left elbow inflammation, a setback that comes with more than just a short-term pause. A 15-day IL move means Lauer cannot return until Sept. 17 at the earliest, and with a shutdown from throwing expected for at least a few days, he’s now fighting the clock with only 20 regular season games left this month.
“It was an elbow, arm kind of thing, that he just didn’t feel good. And through the start, it was kind of showing itself a little bit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “He’s such a good competitor, I don’t think he was thrilled about going on the IL.
“But we just can’t carry a player, a pitcher, for five or six days who we can’t go to, right? I know it’s a few days of no throwing, and then we’ll sort of revisit in two weeks.”
That uncertainty matters because Lauer’s recent run has already been shaky. Since the beginning of August, he has given up 19 runs in 20.1 innings, a stretch that followed a strong start to his Dodgers tenure.
After the club acquired him from the Blue Jays in May, Lauer jumped straight into the rotation and looked like a steadying force. His first nine starts all ended in Dodgers wins, and he went 5-0 with a 2.96 ERA over that span.
But as his performance cooled, the Dodgers got healthier. The returns of left-handers Blake Snell and right-hander Tyler Glasnow bumped Lauer out of the rotation and left him searching for a path forward.
There was still a possible bullpen opening, at least in theory. Lauer could have worked his way into a long-relief role before the 2026 season is over, but that lane is crowded too. Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer are already ahead of him among the Dodgers’ left-handed relief options.
Kris Bubic is another lefty in the mix, though his situation is different. He hasn’t pitched since May because of an elbow injury, but after being acquired by the Dodgers at the Aug. 3 trade deadline, he has made two scoreless rehab appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City in the last week. On paper, that puts him closer to the Dodgers’ bullpen than Lauer right now.
Lauer’s track record does at least leave a door open. In last year’s postseason run with Toronto, he allowed just six hits and three runs over 8.2 innings, including two scoreless World Series outings against the Dodgers that covered 5.2 innings.
For now, though, all of that is secondary to the injury and the time it costs him. If he handles the throwing program well, he could work his way back into the Dodgers’ October picture. At the moment, that’s a pretty steep climb.
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