Blake Snell’s elbow has a plan, and apparently that plan is keeping the Dodgers’ rotation together. This is Dodgers Daily. I’m Cassidy, Joey’s here, and today the theoretical finally has to answer to the scoreboard: real starters, real opponents, real matchup numbers. Milwaukee’s won 11 of its last 13 and just swept the Cubs, and now we’re sending Wrobleski out against Logan Henderson — a guy with a 2.94 xERA who’s basically telling you that 3.50 ERA is not going to last. And Gomes finally said the quiet part out loud at his presser. Sports Illustrated is asking why the top pitching prospect still hasn’t been called up, and Tommy Edman’s ankle apparently has a pulse — which is the first sourced good news we’ve had all week. From ESPN MLB:
in the air to left. Sheets going back at the wall. It is gone. Up over the fence. A two-run shot opposite field for Freddy Freeman. And a two nothing Dodgers lead in the first inning. The double the opposite way. This is a fast ball. And this is something that Freddy Freeman has been doing for many, many years.
Ohtani leadoff double, takes third on a groundout, Freeman goes opposite field for a two-run shot — that’s the Dodgers offense doing exactly what it’s supposed to do in the first inning. All that hand-wringing about Shohei struggling at the plate? Put it away. And the Padres didn’t just roll over. Machado yanked a middle-in fastball into the bullpen to tie it at two. One swing, series still alive. The offense bailed them out, but this was not a walkover. Of course Machado. Of course. That is the one guy you cannot leave a fastball in on, and somebody did exactly that. Here's Eric Stephen at True Blue LA:
Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Wednesday at Petco Park in San Diego that Edman could face hitters at Camelback Ranch in Arizona in the next week, then potentially start a minor league rehab assignment after that.
First sourced timeline we’ve had on Edman all week. True Blue LA says he could face hitters at Camelback Ranch within the next week, then maybe start a rehab assignment after that. That’s not back-back, but it is the first real step on the calendar. I’ll take it. We’ve been bleeding injury news for days, and this is the first thing that’s gone the right way. But I’ve got to flag it — he’s already missed 49 games across two IL stints just in 2025 alone. That ankle has been a problem for two straight years. The timing matters more than the name, honestly. You’ve got 19 games in 20 days starting May 29, and you’re short on rotation arms and utility depth. Edman’s value right now isn’t the bat — it’s that he can cover second, center, wherever Roberts needs a plug. Right, except 85 percent of his postseason innings last year came at second base because the ankle limited his range in center. So even when he’s back, we might not be getting the Edman who patrols the outfield. And that’s a smaller piece than this roster needs. Yahoo Sports, with Adrian Medina:
Gomes revealed that Snell will undergo a nanoscope procedure performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. "It's better than we thought it was going to be," Gomes said on the future landscape of Snell's recovery.
Alright, we’ve been sitting on the Snell question all week, and Gomes actually answered it. Nanoscope procedure by Dr. ElAttrache on Tuesday, and the GM’s own words are that it’s “better than we thought it was going to be.” That’s not nothing. We’ve got a procedure, a doctor, and a shorter recovery window than the worst-case stuff we were floating. I’ll take “better than we thought” from Brandon Gomes — I really will — but that’s the same front office that had us believing the rotation was deep before half of it went sideways. And now they’re sending Wrobleski out against Logan Henderson, a guy with a 2.94 xERA, to open in Milwaukee against a team that’s won 11 of 13. “Better than we thought” does not start Tuesday’s game. Fair tension. The Gomes presser closes the loop on Snell — that question is answered. The Milwaukee rotation matchups are the new open file. Valentina Martinez, writing in Sports Illustrated:
The Dodgers lost both Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow recently. Instead of calling up a top prospect, the Dodgers front office traded with the Toronto Blue Jays for recently designated for assignment left-hander Eric Lauer. Lauer is poised to be the Dodgers' sixth starter and make his debut with LA on Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies.
Sports Illustrated is saying the quiet part out loud now: why aren’t the Dodgers calling up their top pitching prospect? And the answer is right there in River Ryan’s stat line — 4.09 ERA, 11 innings after Tommy John. That’s not somebody you toss into a Milwaukee series against a team that just went 11-for-13. But Gomes went out and got Eric Lauer off the DFA wire instead. A guy Toronto didn’t want. That’s the move. That’s the answer to Snell and Glasnow going down. Gomes addressed the pitching situation in his presser Monday, so this isn’t just analysts speculating anymore — the front office has officially framed it. What SI is really putting on trial is whether “we built depth on purpose” holds up when the depth is a reclamation project and your actual prospect is sitting at 4.09 in Triple-A. Ryan had a 1.33 ERA in 2024 before the elbow blew. The talent is real. Eleven innings back from Tommy John is just not enough runway to hand him a Brewers start, so I get it. Doesn’t mean I have to love Lauer as the answer. From r/Dodgers:
Dodgers head to Milwaukee for a quick road trip for an NLCS rematch series. The Brewers are red-hot, having just swept their division rival Cubs, and have won 11 of their last 13 games. Fortunately, the Dodgers won't be facing their young ace and early Cy Young-contending flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski.
Alright, so all the rotation questions we’ve been stress-testing all week now have actual names and actual numbers. Three games in Milwaukee against a team that’s gone 11-2 in its last 13 — this is the first real exam. And the Brewers just swept the Cubs, so let’s not pretend this is some breather after the Padres series. The good news is Misiorowski’s not on the mound — that guy’s been a nightmare — but Henderson’s xERA is 2.94. Wrobleski opening against that is not soft. Henderson’s ERA looks fine at 3.50, but the xERA says he’s actually pitching better than that. That’s the game one tell I’m watching — if Wrobleski can match him pitch for pitch, great. If not, the “we have depth” argument takes an early hit. Game two against Gasser is the gift: 4.50 ERA, 5.18 xERA. That’s the one Sasaki should win. Yamamoto getting Sproat in game three is fine on paper, but I’m not sleeping well until Wrobleski gets through Henderson. That xERA gap is real, and Wrobleski hasn’t exactly been locked in. If you like staying current day by day, check out California Governor's Race. It’s daily 2026 coverage of candidates, polling, debates, fundraising, and policy for voters who want more than horse-race takes. Find it wherever you listen to podcasts.
You’ll find links to every story we mentioned today in the show notes, so if something caught your ear, you can dig in there. Thanks for spending part of your Friday with us. That’s Dodgers Daily Podcast for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.