The Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting rotation is starting to look like a disaster movie.
Tyler Glasnow left a recent start against the Houston Astros before the second inning because of low back pain. Blake Snell is heading for surgery and will miss significant time, according to manager Dave Roberts. For a team that has been the bookmakers’ World Series favorite all season, this is the kind of injury news that can turn the next two months into a panic.
And there is more.
The Dodgers have already cycled through what feels like half their pitching depth chart in 2026. Multiple starters have hit the injured list. The bullpen has been overworked. The team has tried to plug holes with veteran trades and prospect call-ups, with mixed results. Glasnow’s back issue and Snell’s surgery just dropped a bomb on whatever plan was in place.
Glasnow’s situation is the more uncertain of the two. He allowed a home run to leadoff hitter Brice Matthews before retiring the next three batters with two strikeouts to end the first inning. Then he could not continue. Lower back pain in pitchers is rarely a one-week issue. It almost always lingers. The Dodgers are going to be cautious with him, which means a stint on the injured list at minimum.
Snell is a longer-term issue. Surgery means months, not weeks. The Dodgers signed him to a massive contract in the 2024 offseason expecting front-line production over the life of the deal. Instead, they have gotten constant injury concerns. Snell’s career has been hampered by various health issues. This latest setback feels like a continuation of a brutal pattern.
For Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers front office, this is the kind of crisis that demands action. The trade deadline is August 3. Tarik Skubal is reportedly on the market. The Dodgers were already considered one of the four most likely landing spots for the Tigers’ ace before any of this happened. After Glasnow and Snell, the case for going all-in on Skubal just got stronger.
Los Angeles has the prospect capital to make a deal. The Dodgers’ farm system has been one of the deepest in baseball for years. They have hitters and pitchers at multiple levels who could headline a Skubal trade package. The question is whether Friedman is willing to pull the trigger on the kind of deal that costs you multiple top prospects.
Given the state of the rotation, it is hard to see another option.
The Dodgers are still 36-22 and leading the NL West, but the gap is shrinking. The Padres and Giants have both made runs. The Diamondbacks are hanging around. If LA’s pitching keeps disintegrating, that lead is not going to last through July. Adding Skubal would not just be a luxury. It would be a necessity.
The other option is to ride it out with what they have and hope. That has never been Friedman’s style. The Dodgers have built their championship runs on aggressive moves at the deadline. This year’s version is going to need to be even more aggressive than usual.
For Glasnow and Snell, the path forward is rehab and rest. For the Dodgers as a franchise, the path forward runs through Detroit. Tarik Skubal is the answer. Now LA just has to outbid the Yankees, Blue Jays, and Padres to get him.
The pitching market is about to get very interesting. The Dodgers are about to be the most desperate buyers on the board.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
