The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2025 season has been a mirror of what the 2024 season was all about—injuries. It simply floored them, with Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and even Tyler Glasnow taking turns on the IL. It left the team scrambling for stability, and their back-to-back losses were just the result of it. But now, before the All-Star break, some good news has come to them.
On Monday, manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Tyler Glasnow will make his return to pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander, mind you, hasn’t pitched since April 27 due to the shoulder injury. It had kept him in the 15-day IL and then on the 60-day IL. Before he was injured, he tossed around 18 innings, had a 4.50 ERA, and struck out 23. But now his real work begins.
This is because the Dodgers are not just hoping for Glasnow to make a lukewarm return. They are expecting him to live by the standard set by a legend. The man in question—Clayton Kershaw.
Tyler Glasnow is back on the mound for the Dodgers! First start back from the IL. Let’s get it !
LETS GO DODGERS!! pic.twitter.com/dcLWdvD3Tb
— Tony Sibrian (@tonysib16) July 9, 2025
Just days ago, Clayton Kershaw struck out his 3,000th career batter at Dodger Stadium. With it, the $7.5M ace became the 20th player in MLB history to do so. The moment was electric, and it also showed that in LA, excellence is expected. Now, Roberts is handing that accountability torch to Glasnow. When asked how Glasnow can rise to the occasion, Roberts said, “I think Clayton is a perfect example, and I know that’s a high bar in the sense of a mentality of mindset that there’s no other alternative but to realize a certain expectation, and so it’s a vague point I’m making, but I have high expectations, as we all do, for the title, and so we expect him to realize those expectations consistently.
Roberts also mentioned that the thing he is looking for in Tyler Glasnow is the rhythm. How do you feel right now before the game? Roberts says that Glasnow is focused and determined. And if he keeps the timing and delivery in sync, then the pitches will be there. And as far as whether Glasnow will be given some leeway, given he has just come out of the IL, Roberts’ answer was a big fat NO!
“Today I feel that, um, we’ve checked all the boxes, got the pitch count out, and he’s healthy. So, um, I’m going to treat him like any other pitcher that’s been around,” said Roberts. And well, given that the team wants another deep postseason run, these many expectations are understandable. Now it remains to be seen if he will walk in the footsteps of the team veteran.
Los Angeles Dodgers bring back Glasnow, but it comes at a cost
Sure, Tyler Glasnow is finally back, and that’s great—the Dodgers needed it—but his comeback wasn’t without any collateral damage. To make room on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned the former all-star closer Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Oklahoma City, just one day after calling him up. That’s right, Diaz didn’t even throw a pitch before being sent back down.
This is a sad break for the 28-year-old, who once had saved 37 games for the Reds and even made the All-Star team in 2023. This year, he logged six innings in the majors and gave up eight earned runs. Not great, but it must sting to be dropped before an appearance. Ouch! And not just him; to clear space on a 40-man roster, even Michael Kopech was transferred to a 60-day IL.
The Dodgers mentioned that it was a precautionary measure, but fans have learned not to put that much faith in Roberts’ injury timeline now. First Kopech’s shoulder was the problem, and now it’s his knee. And as for Glasnow, this start will be his sixth start of the season. The Dodgers will bank on him to stay healthy now and lead the charge. Their once comfortable lead in the NL West has slipped from nine games to five after five straight losses. So definitely he will feel the pressure. Do you think Glasnow will perform as per expectations?
The post Tyler Glasnow Asked to Follow $7.5M Teammate’s Legacy as Dodgers Skipper Hands Over Big Responsibility appeared first on EssentiallySports.
