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The Dodgers are nearly a month into the 2025 season, so it feels like a good time for a mailbag. Thanks to everyone who submitted questions -- which have been lightly edited for clarity -- through the link in the previous newsletter. During the offseason, much was made by some media and rivals that the Dodgers were exhibiting overkill by stockpiling and overstuffing their rotation and bullpen. Despite this, here we are a month in with injuries to Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Tony Gonsolin; inconsistency from Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates; a bullpen that’s logged the most innings in MLB. … Is there any organizational concern that too much pitching still isn’t going to be enough to cover six more months? -- Kevin C. from Ashland, Ky.
I think just about every team, no matter how its organizational depth looks, has those kinds of concerns. Beginning the season without Gonsolin and losing Snell and Blake Treinen in April have put that depth to the test. (The cramping that put an early end to Glasnow's previous outing shouldn't prevent him from making his next start.) The spot starts in Snell's turn have not gone particularly well, one factor that has put additional strain on the bullpen.
On paper, the Dodgers' staff should be incredibly deep by, say, midseason. In reality, it's difficult to predict what the team will get out of some of those arms given that several are returning from long-term injuries. But in an ideal world where everyone who is currently healthy stays that way, and the arms on the mend all remain more or less on schedule with their rehab … |
I know you can never have enough pitching, especially considering the Dodgers already have some pitchers with injury issues early in the season, but how are they going to fit in all the rehabbing pitchers that could be coming back in the next month or so, such as Clayton Kershaw, Shohei Ohtani and Gonsolin? -- Dave K. from Yorba Linda, Calif.
… that can create a complicated situation, even if it is a high-class problem. But I think it's unlikely that the best-case scenario healthwise plays out.
I would expect the Dodgers to generally take a slower approach with rehabbing their injured pitchers, as long as there's no pressing need to have them back. We've seen that with Ohtani, Kershaw and Michael Kopech, and even with Gonsolin. There was a case to bring Gonsolin back on Wednesday, instead of running a bullpen game on the same day he made what should be his final rehab start -- but the Dodgers haven't rushed him. |
This is the other side of the concern with depth. The staff should only get deeper as the season goes on, setting up some tough decisions -- but those decisions could also be taken out of the team's hands due to injury. At this point, I would guess that Kershaw returns before Ohtani, which could mark the first tough rotation decision the Dodgers have to make. That could potentially mean shifting Gonsolin or Dustin May to long relief, an option that was on the table when both were competing for the fifth starter role in spring. What's your guess regarding what the Dodgers do with Dalton Rushing? Seems a crime to keep him in the Minors. Play him in the outfield? Keep him in the Minors unless there's an injury and, if not, move him at the Deadline? -- Jeff C. from N.C.
The expectation is that Rushing will see time with the Dodgers at some point this year, but he's not likely to get the call for a short stint. A longer-term injury could open the door, because manager Dave Roberts has said that the team ideally wouldn't bring up its No. 2 prospect (No. 28 overall) without everyday playing opportunities.
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That's where it gets complicated. Rushing has made 11 starts at catcher, plus two at first base and three at DH. He's also logged an inning in left field, which is interesting, because it sounded like the Dodgers were moving away from that path in spring. The Dodgers have talked about getting Will Smith and Freddie Freeman more rest. Perhaps that could open up some time at catcher and first for Rushing, with the occasional stint in the outfield to keep him in the lineup. I do see Rushing in the Dodgers' plans going forward, but it will have to take some creativity to balance what's best for his development with what's best for the team. |
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MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
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It's April, which is way too early to be talking seriously about end-of-year awards. But I'll say this much: Tonight's matchup between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and the Pirates' Paul Skenes at Dodger Stadium will be must-see action between two hurlers who could be leading contenders for the NL Cy Young Award by season's end. Yamamoto outdueled a two-time Cy Young winner last week in Jacob deGrom, twirling seven scoreless innings to drop his ERA to an NL-best 0.93. Before signing with the Dodgers, Yamamoto was a three-time winner of the Eiji Sawamura Award, Nippon Professional Baseball's top pitching honor. He's only made five starts this season, but he's made good on the reputation for dominance that he brought with him from Japan. "There's a lot of time, but I do think that right now, he's the best pitcher in the National League," Roberts said last week. "Now, Skenes is pretty good, too, so no disrespect." |
It's unclear whether the Dodgers' manager realized at the time that Skenes was lined up to toe the rubber opposite Yamamoto the following week. Skenes, an Orange County native, has made two starts against the Dodgers, going 1-1 and allowing seven runs in 11 innings with 16 strikeouts against two walks. He won last year's NL Rookie of the Year Award and was a finalist in Cy Young balloting -- and should present quite the challenge for the Dodgers. This should be fun. |
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