Glasnow's back, Mookie's close, and somebody in that rotation is about to get the bad news. Welcome to Dodgers Daily Fancast — and yeah, these are the kind of problems you want to have. I'll take all of them. The bats woke up in Houston, Mookie's rehab is moving fast, and this rotation is basically going to force Friedman's hand today. Too many good pitchers? That's the dream. If we had this in 2017, I'd have cried tears of joy. Andy Lane Chapman, writing in True Blue LA:
The most immediate concern was for their starting pitcher, Tyler Glasnow, who exited Wednesday’s matinee game against the Houston Astros just after taking the mound to warm up for the second inning. Initial news was that it was Glasnow’s lower back that was bothering him.
The Dodgers finished the road trip at .500, and after that Glasnow scare in Houston, they'll take it. The MRI is just precautionary, and they don't expect an IL stint. Okay, but my heart absolutely stopped when he walked off in the second inning. That's just who he is, I know, the tall guy back thing — but every time, I'm already planning the funeral. Glasnow has been doing this his whole career, Devin. Roberts sounded calm, the offense showed up, and they're headed home fine. This is a good outcome. The bats finally showing up is huge. I'll breathe easier when that MRI comes back clean, but yeah, good flight home. Keep it going at Chavez Ravine. Orange County Register, with Bill Plunkett:
That trio represents the back half of the Dodgers’ six-man rotation. When the front four of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Snell and Glasnow are all healthy, one of those three young pitchers will have to go – somewhere.
The Dodgers are staring at a rotation logjam. Snell's almost back, Glasnow's back spasms don't sound serious, and now Wrobleski, Sheehan, and Sasaki are all fighting for fewer and fewer spots. That is a GOOD problem, Cassidy. You know how long we spent begging for one reliable number three starter? Now we've got guys who'd be aces on half the league getting squeezed. It is a good problem. I just wouldn't lock Glasnow in yet — his back has said "not serious" before. Right, but if Glasnow misses even one start, Snell slides in and nobody gets bumped for a week. The rotation practically solves itself. Eventually, though, someone's getting sent to the bullpen, and that's going to be an awkward conversation. Noah Camras, writing in Inside The Dodgers:
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported that Betts' return to the Dodgers could come as soon as Monday. He says Betts is expected to travel back to Los Angeles on Sunday, and then the organization "will evaluate his status before a potential activation on Monday against the San Francisco Giants."
Mookie Betts looks like he's racing back — two rehab games in Oklahoma City this weekend, and the Dodgers could activate him as soon as Monday. Six weeks on an oblique is pretty clean, honestly. Monday. Against the Giants. That is cinematic. I could not have written it better if I tried. The real story is the roster crunch. Somebody's getting bumped when Mookie comes back, and that's a real decision. You don't just drop an eight-time All-Star into the lineup without moving somebody. Figure it out in the front office — I don't care. Just have him in the box score when San Francisco comes to town. We’ve put links to every story from today’s episode in the show notes, so if one grabbed your attention, you can dig into the full piece there.
That’s Dodgers Daily Fancast for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.