On Friday, the stage was set for the next big step in Tyler Glasnow’s recovery from an elbow injury.
Several hours before the Dodgers opened a four-game series against the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park, the team’s injured right-hander took the field to begin warming up for a scheduled simulation game – it would have been his first encounter with hitters since being placed on the injured list last month with tendinitis.
Manager Dave Roberts, pitching coach Mark Prior and other members of the training staff and management watched the $136.5 million offseason addition warm up with throws from the outfield and throws from the bullpen mound.
Several batsmen were also ready for the session and sat in the team bench with bats in their hands and helmets on their heads.
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But then, just as the two-inning practice was about to begin, the course of Glasnow’s recovery suddenly changed.
The pitcher came out of the bullpen and did not go to the mound, but instead went back to the clubhouse.
According to Roberts, Glasnow told the team that he still felt “discomfort” in his arm after about 20 warm-up throws, thus scrapping all plans for his highly anticipated live session.
“He didn’t really describe anything,” Prior added. “He just said it wasn’t good. He didn’t feel like he should put it out there.”
Rather than checking off a major item on his rehab to-do list, Glasnow actually suffered a troubling “setback,” as Roberts put it, which only heightened the questions surrounding Glasnow’s status at the end of the season and his availability for a potential postseason role.
“The fact that we are not throwing today is a cause for concern and a warning signal,” said Prior. “We will see where we are tomorrow and have more information. Maybe it is a small slip-up and we can move on. But there is also the possibility that it is not. And that would of course be devastating.”
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Glasnow has been on the injured list since Aug. 16, his second injury of the season (he already missed some time in July with a back injury), and the 31-year-old All-Star is trying to get back in action before the end of the regular season.
He had to wait a week last month after feeling uncomfortable while catching, and while things seemed to be looking up after two encouraging bullpen sessions, Friday’s development will bring his already small window for a return dangerously close to closing.
“I don’t know if we have any room left,” said Prior. “That’s unfortunate.”
When healthy, Glasnow has largely lived up to the expectations with which he was signed this winter by the Tampa Bay Rays, who signed a five-year contract extension. In 22 starts, he has a 9-6 record and a 3.49 ERA. His 168 strikeouts are by far the most on the team. His 134 innings pitched were also a career high after many of his first eight seasons were marred by injuries.
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However, after returning from the back injury shortly after the All-Star break, Glasnow struggled to regain his initial consistency. After a seven-inning outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on August 11, Glasnow was placed on the injured list on August 16 with his elbow injury and was expected to be out for only a couple of weeks.
Instead, Glasnow’s chances of returning to start a potential playoff run nearly a month later remain uncertain — albeit increasingly slim. Roberts said the club will “re-evaluate” Glasnow in the coming days. He may get more tests to see if the severity of his injury has worsened.
But it was already clear that Glasnow could not afford any more setbacks if he wanted to return before the end of the regular season and be anywhere near full form.
Now?
“It’s certainly not helpful or positive,” Roberts said. “We’ll see how he gets back in tomorrow. (The possibility of him returning is) certainly not dead. I thought we made the right decision today. If he wasn’t feeling well enough to continue, there was no point in pushing it today.”
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This story originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times.
