The Dodgers' pitching staff is crowded, banged up, and somehow getting weirder by the day — and we are absolutely here for it. Welcome to Dodgers Today. Between Snell creeping back, Ohtani taking the mound tonight, and the minors quietly stacking arms, the rotation question is genuinely interesting right now. Too many starters is the best problem in baseball. We'll see if the front office solves it cleanly or just lets the injury list do it for them. That's the most optimistic thing Matt has ever said, and I still don't trust it. First up, Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register has this:
Dodgers pitcher Edwin Diaz underwent surgery to remove five loose bodies in his right elbow after feeling tired and tight. The operation was unexpected as Diaz had complained about his right knee, which was suspected to have contributed to his velocity dropping this season.
Edwin Diaz had elbow surgery to remove five loose bodies — and this is per Bill Plunkett at the OC Register, who's been all over the Dodgers injury beat. Diaz says he's a hundred percent confident he returns at full strength in the second half. A hundred percent confident. Sure. That's exactly what a guy says right after they cut open his elbow. I've heard this story before and it does not end with 'and then he was totally fine.' Loose body removal is generally one of the cleaner elbow procedures — recovery timelines are real but manageable. The concerning part is they went in for a knee concern and found the actual problem somewhere else entirely. That diagnostic gap is worth watching. Also a weird footnote in this piece — Roberts apparently floated some connection to Ohtani's two-way usage. I'm not sure that thread is fully pulled yet. Of course Dave Roberts is already managing expectations and spinning plates. This is what he does — good teams bail him out and he looks like a genius. If Diaz isn't back, we'll hear about 'load management' until October. Devin, Roberts doesn't perform elbow surgery. The front office has handled Diaz's health pragmatically — fix it now, get him back at peak. That's the right call on a high-leverage arm. And from MLB, because yes, the rotation numbers are kind of ridiculous:
Through Sunday's action, L.A.'s rotation led the Majors with a 2.79 ERA and 18 quality starts, also ranking second with 164 2/3 innings and a 1.02 WHIP. One month into the season, the Dodgers' starting pitching that carried them to back-to-back championships has emerged as the team's biggest strength once again -- and they should get even better once Blake Snell returns to the fold.
Blake Snell is closing in on a return from the IL, and the Dodgers suddenly have a rotation problem — a good one. MLB.com's Dodgers Beat newsletter flagged it first: the staff is leading the majors with a 2.79 ERA and 18 quality starts even without him. Wrobleski has allowed two earned runs in 26 innings. That's not a fluke you can just option back to Triple-A when Snell shows up. The front office built depth for a reason, but now they actually have to use it. And watch — Snell comes back, they shuffle someone out, that guy gets hurt in Tulsa, and suddenly we're crying into our bobbleheads. This is exactly how it falls apart. Devin, the rotation ERA is 2.79. You are genuinely finding a way to panic about a 2.79 ERA. Now, on Ohtani’s next start — this is from El-Balad.com:
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Shohei Ohtani will make his next start on Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins rather than Wednesday, shifting the team’s pitching calendar for the Marlins Vs Dodgers matchup.
Dave Roberts is bumping Shohei Ohtani up a day — he'll start Tuesday against the Marlins on five days' rest instead of his usual six-plus. Glasnow threw 105 pitches over eight scoreless innings Thursday, so the rotation math shifted. Five days' rest, on the heels of a cold stretch at the plate — what could go wrong? I'm not panicking, I'm just... aware of the universe's capacity for chaos. And he went three-for-three with a homer Sunday, so the bat's waking up too. Roberts said the decision was made with Ohtani's input — which, honestly, is the only way you have that conversation. Roberts 'discussed it' with him — sure, like Ohtani was gonna say no. That's not collaboration, that's paperwork. And Eric Stephen at True Blue LA had the minor league piece:
Brock Stewart pitched in his fifth minor league rehab game and third for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sunday. He threw a perfect third inning with a popout and two strikeouts. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts over the weekend said Stewart will pitch on back-to-back days at some point this coming week, and then the Dodgers will decide what to do next with the right-hander, and when to potentially activate him from the injured list.
Tip of the hat to True Blue LA — Eric Stephen had the minor league roundup. Brock Stewart's looking close: Roberts says back-to-back appearances this week, then the Dodgers decide on activation. Every time we get close to getting Stewart back something goes sideways. I'll believe the activation when I see the transaction wire. 19th-round pick Anson Aroz with five multi-hit games in his last eight — that's legitimately encouraging for a guy who wasn't supposed to sniff a prospect list. Blake Snell meanwhile is still making Class-A rehab starts, which tells you everything about where that timeline actually is. The Snell rehab crawl is a whole separate conversation. But the farm throwing up a surprise name in Aroz — that's the front office depth chart doing its job. Links to everything we talked about are in the show notes, so if one of those stories caught your ear, you can go read more there.
That’s Dodgers Today for Tuesday, April 28. This is a Lantern Podcast.