ATLANTA – Tyler Glasnow sprained his right elbow and will “most likely” not play as a pitcher again this season, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Saturday, a devastating blow for a high-profile team that has World Series hopes but is seriously concerned about its postseason rotation.

Glasnow, 31, had been out since Aug. 11 with what the team described as elbow tendinitis. He appeared close to returning before suffering another setback that essentially ended his season. The right-hander warmed up for a simulated two- to three-inning game at Truist Park early Friday afternoon that was supposed to be his final step before returning to the Dodgers’ rotation, but had to leave the game because of elbow discomfort as he approached his 25th pitch out of the bullpen.

The Dodgers can only rely on newcomer Jack Flaherty to start their first postseason game at this point. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was out for nearly three months with a shoulder injury but made an encouraging comeback last week, seems like a safe bet. Other than that, however, the Dodgers’ rotation outlook is extremely uncertain.

“This is a big blow,” Roberts said of Glasnow’s injury. “Considering what he meant to our club, what he did for us, what we expected from him, it’s certainly going to come at a cost. But we have to move on and we will. We have a lot of capable guys. I feel bad for Tyler because he did everything he could to stay healthy and come back and it just didn’t work out.”

The Dodgers signed Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays during the offseason, trading away two promising young players in starter Ryan Pepiot and outfielder Jonny DeLuca. They then signed Glasnow to a five-year contract extension worth $136.6 million.

Glasnow then posted a 3.49 ERA in his first 134 innings, striking out 168 batters and allowing 35 walks – and often looked like a real ace. But his arm barely lasted more than four months.

Roberts said Glasnow will be unable to throw indefinitely. There is concern that he may have suffered further damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, which he repaired through Tommy John surgery in August 2021. Roberts said Glasnow’s UCL is intact, although a diagnosis of an elbow sprain usually means the ligament is at least partially damaged.

This is just the latest injury development on a team that already has too many of them.

Clayton Kershaw, who is dealing with a bone spur in his left big toe, is throwing from a makeshift mound, but there is no definitive timetable for his return. Gavin Stone, meanwhile, is battling shoulder inflammation and has not yet resumed his throwing program. The other two main options for the rotation, Walker Buehler and Bobby Miller, are struggling.

Nevertheless, Roberts tried to strike a positive tone.

“It’s manageable,” he said of the pitchers’ injuries. “We’re getting through it. I think the main thing is we have to continue to focus on the players we have available and on winning a baseball game that night. You have to give the guys credit for getting that done, and we put ourselves in a good position considering everything we’ve been through this year. We still have a pretty good ballclub.”