The Dodgers are running out of time to patch together a rotation that can steady a team in the middle of a long, ugly slide, and Tyler Glasnow’s return suddenly feels enormous.
Los Angeles has gone 5-10 since Aug. 1, a mark that ties the Washington Nationals for the second-worst in baseball. The latest gut punch came in a series loss to the Milwaukee Brewers, and Dave Roberts didn’t sugarcoat the state of the lineup afterward.
"This has been four, five, six weeks of below-average production from our offense." The Dodgers have been outscored 50-69 this month, and the bats have clearly been the biggest issue.
But the problems don’t stop there. Edwin Díaz’s struggles have continued to draw attention, and the rest of the bullpen has not done much to cover for him.
The rotation has had its own issues too, with Tarik Skubal not yet living up to the admittedly lofty expectations placed on him. Then came another hit on Sunday afternoon, when Justin Wrobleski was placed on the 15-day IL with forearm inflammation.
The move came out of nowhere, but Wrobleski had already been getting hit much harder over the last stretch. In August, he made three starts and covered only 13⅔ innings while allowing 15 runs, 14 of them earned.
That’s why Glasnow’s timing matters so much. He is, hopefully, one more start away from returning to the big league club after striking out eight Triple-A hitters across 3⅔ hitless innings on Friday.
Glasnow has been out since May 6, when lower back spasms sent him to the IL. As has often happened with Dodgers pitching injuries, the initial concern didn’t stay small for long.
Both Glasnow and Roberts downplayed it at first, but he was on the 60-day IL a month later and had to pause and restart his throwing progression multiple times before finally beginning a rehab assignment on Aug. 4.
The Dodgers still haven’t given a timeline for Wrobleski’s return, though only six weeks remain of the 2026 season. Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic wrote, " If Wrobleski makes it back this season, it might not be as a starter, as manager Dave Roberts said Saturday he expects Wrobleski to slot into a bullpen role this October."
For a Dodgers staff that has spent too much time improvising, Glasnow coming back would at least give them something real to build around. It would also complete the postseason rotation, with enough time left for him to get stretched back out and settle into a full workload. And if that happens quickly, maybe he can help drag the Dodgers out of this weeks-long skid, too.
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