Every major league team is dealing with injuries at this point in the season, and the Los Angeles Dodgers are no exception. Here are some new and notable injury updates for the Dodgers as we approach the All-Star break.
Dodgers Injury Updates Ahead of All-Star Break
Position Players
Third baseman Max Muncy, who has already missed significant time this season with a strained oblique, was shut down this weekend after feeling discomfort while swinging the bat. Optimistic estimates suggest he will be back on the field come August. However, it would not be surprising if he is delayed until September.
Shortstop Mookie Betts, who was hit by a pitch on June 16, is in week three of a 6-to-8-week absence with a fractured hand. He is expected back sometime in August.
Jason Heyward is expected to miss 1-2 weeks due to a bone bruise he sustained while leaping in an attempt to catch a fly ball against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Dodgers are relieved that the injury isn’t more serious.
Starting Pitchers
Clayton Kershaw started throwing after a week off because of shoulder soreness. Kershaw, who had shoulder capsule surgery in the offseason, is expected to pitch a simulated game before three or four rehab starts. If all goes well, the southpaw will rejoin the rotation in mid-August.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who strained his rotator cuff in the wake of his stellar start against the New York Yankees, has started playing catch and is expected back on the roster sometime after the All-Star Break. The best estimates have the Japanese phenom returning in late August. Dodgers fans are hoping that their huge off-season acquisition will return fully healthy and as dominant for the stretch run and the postseason as he showed before the injury.
Walker Buehler took a come-backer off the hip during a series against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Buehler has struggled with his command and is still rounding into form after missing significant time due to his second Tommy John surgery. He is currently in Florida working on mechanical issues while he recovers. There is no timetable for his return.
Tyler Glasnow has lower-back stiffness. He will return after the All-Star break.
Dodgers currently have one of the best IL rotations you’ll ever see
Tyler Glasnow
Yoshinobu Yamamoto
Shohei Ohtani
Clayton Kershaw
Walker BuehlerOh, and Dustin May, Tony Gonsolin and Emmet Sheehan as your depth
— Blake Harris (@BlakeHHarris) July 9, 2024
Relief Pitchers
Long man Michael Grove suffered an intercostal strain. His return is slated for July.
Brusdar Graterol has been missing since Spring Training with a shoulder injury. He has missed more time than originally prognosticated. Gaterol’s 100 mph fastball will be a shot in the arm for a tired relief corps. The Dodgers are hoping for an August return.
Ryan Brasier has a calf strain. Although it is characterized as mild, the injury has sidelined him indefinitely. Los Angeles expects Brasier back this season. They just don’t know when.
The best news on the injury front is that fireballer Joe Kelly will return. Kelly is dealing with a cranky shoulder. However, he has almost completed his rehab appearances and will join the team after the All-Star Break.
Timetables change, but the Dodgers need a healthy and effective roster and rotation if they want to make it back to the World Series.
Photo Credit: © Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
