Dodgers’ Opening Day Starter Has Aggressive Timeline to Return

As scheduled, right-hander Tyler Glasnow threw a bullpen session Tuesday afternoon.

According to Los Angeles manager Dave Roberts, Glasnow was “ripping the fastball” and utilized his full range of pitches. The next phase in his recovery from elbow tendinitis will involve facing hitters in a simulated game on Friday in Atlanta.

If all goes well in the simulated game, Roberts indicated that Glasnow might rejoin the Dodgers’ rotation as early as next week, although his pitch count will be monitored closely.

“To get him in a major-league game is the priority,” Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register, aware there is only time left in the regular season for Glasnow to make three starts before the postseason. “If he can handle two, three innings in a sim game, I think that’ll be sufficient.”

Glasnow, who was acquired to be the Dodgers’ postseason ace but has been out since Aug. 17 due to right elbow tendinitis, had a bullpen session earlier in the day that sparked some hope. There is optimism that he could make a timely return and potentially transform the Dodgers’ postseason rotation from a concern into a strong asset, with the potential to start Game 1 or Game 7.

Before Tuesday, Roberts had emphasized that Glasnow would require at least one rehab start before he could make his return. Glasnow is scheduled to throw a bullpen session over the weekend, which will help assess his readiness for this next step.

Now it’s at least possible that Glasnow could come back on a strict pitch count without a rehab assignment.

“He’s getting off the mound and he’ll probably have a more aggressive bullpen session [this week], but we just gotta know, we gotta get going,” Roberts told Mike DiGiovanna of The Los Angeles Times. “We only have so much time before he [can] get built up and he’s pitching in major league games. Time is certainly of the essence.”

If and when Glasnow does return to the mound this season, Los Angeles will rely on him to perform like an ace and provide a strong anchor for their postseason rotation.

Before landing on the injured list, the 30-year-old had posted a 3.49 ERA and a 9-6 record. Glasnow also set a career high in strikeouts, with 168 in 134 innings pitched.

Photo Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

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