Dodgers will 'figure it out on the fly' with pitching staff after Blake Snell's injury

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More than anything, they survived with every single pitcher making each scheduled turn through the rotation. That group is suddenly in flux, capping a perilous 10-day stretch that has taken $318.5 million worth of the club’s high-powered starting pitching contracts off the field and onto the injured list. Blake Snell has loose bodies in his left elbow and was placed on the IL Friday as the Dodgers discuss whether the two-time Cy Young winner needs surgery. This comes nine days after Tyler Glasnow exited the first inning of a start in Houston due to back spasms that will cost him more than the minimum 15 days on the IL. The Dodgers, billed in spring as having too much pitching, suddenly have questions about their pitching. “There’s always a question like, ‘Do you feel like you have a surplus of pitching?’” pitching coach Mark Prior told The Athletic in the wake of Snell’s injury. “Obviously, that can change really fast.” That, it has. The Dodgers still do not know how much time Snell will miss, but manager Dave Roberts said the organization expects him back this season, whether he undergoes surgery or not. The Dodgers are used to this. After all, they survived a significant stretch of 2025 with Snell and Glasnow on the injured list for multiple months. Each returned and played pivotal roles in a Dodgers rotation that carried them to a World Series title over the Toronto Blue Jays. The year before, they won the World Series despite having just three healthy starters in October — Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Jack Flaherty and Walker Buehler — while mixing in some bullpen games and effectively punting others to preserve their pitching. Handling a few months without Snell and Glasnow will provide a similar challenge. “I don’t know if it’s difficult; it just kind of is what it is,” Prior said. “We’ll just figure it out on the fly and have some experience doing this.” They will have to fill out the rotation at least until Glasnow comes back; the right-hander is playing catch on flat ground but won’t know for sure how his back is feeling until he throws off a mound. Neither Roberts nor Prior had a date on Friday for when Glasnow would do that. Roberts also did not commit to the Dodgers maintaining the six-man rotation they’ve utilized for much of the first 44 games. “Right now, I don’t know if we have six candidates,” Roberts said. They utilized a bullpen game in Snell’s place against the Los Angeles Angels on Friday, with Will Klein serving as the opener. It’s unclear whether they will run this gambit again, as the Dodgers have off days on May 21 and 28 that will make it easier to slot everyone in. The organization won’t pivot from its plans of having Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki pitch on every sixth or seventh day. Shohei Ohtani has pitched on six or more days of rest in all but one of his first seven starts this season. “I think we’re prepared to do whatever we can,” Roberts said. “But I will say the most important thing is to keep the guys on their schedules, not try to push too much because of circumstances with the rotation, because then you start to compromise their health.” So if Glasnow does not return before the Dodgers need a sixth starter again, they could go with another bullpen game. The organization has only one other healthy starter on its 40-man roster. River Ryan returned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday, making his first appearance since April 11 after suffering a hamstring injury. The Dodgers have been deliberate in how they’ve built up Ryan, who missed all of 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2024. Roberts said they won’t rush Ryan’s progression simply because the Dodgers have a need in their rotation. Still, he conceded that the right-hander is at least part of the discussion. “The possibility of him pitching for us — it’s a possibility, but it’s a slim possibility,” Roberts said. “The most important thing is his progression. If everyone isn’t on board with that and speeding it up, then it’s moot. It’s not going to happen. It’s a nonstarter. But if the training staff feels that it’s OK and you’re not compromising him and the progression, then it’s a conversation.” If the Dodgers want to be patient with Ryan, the 27-year-old didn’t get the message. Three of the first five fastballs he threw Friday registered at harder than 100 mph, including a 100.9 mph fastball he threw past Colorado Rockies prospect Cole Carrigg for a strikeout to open the game. He completed his scheduled four innings of work on just 53 pitches, averaging 98.6 mph on his fastball and allowing just one run on two hits. Snell’s and Glasnow’s absences should also help the Dodgers kick the can down the road regarding which young starters stick in the rotation. Sasaki will continue his development at the major-league level, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman discussed with The Athletic this week. Emmet Sheehan turned in perhaps his best start of the season Thursday, twirling six innings against the San Francisco Giants. The only two runs against him scored on an inside-the-park home run from Jung Hoo Lee. Then there’s Justin Wrobleski, who was the Dodgers’ biggest surprise in April after starting the season in the bullpen and taking hold of the sixth starter spot. Each will now get more of a runway. “Somebody’s going to step up,” Prior said. “We usually find guys who do, and that’s always a good thing.” The Dodgers will make do, even if they are tired of finding themselves in this position again. “It seems like every year we go through it,” Roberts said. “What I have learned is, we get through it.” Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms