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The Los Angeles Dodgers have had an attrocious year regarding pitching injuries.
With 14 men from the pitching roster on the injured list, including three from the starting rotation, things are starting to look eerily similar to the kind of pitching complications the Dodgers dealt with last season. An offseason spending spree targeted to address this problem isn't quite paying off at this point in the season, and nobody knows this more than president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman.
When asked about how he felt with the hampered pitchers on his team, he answered succinctly.
“Not fun,” Friedman said.
After winning the eighth World Series in franchise history, the fun from the celebration was continued throughout the offseason as new names and faces started to make their way to the roster. The excitement was palpable when two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell, international phenom Roki Sasaki, and formidable closer Kirby Yates put pen to paper and became Dodgers.
All three of them are serving time on the IL.
Although not on the injured list, Shohei Ohtani is another would-be pitcher who has yet to take the mound in a Dodgers uniform.
Ohtani hasn't pitched since 2023 — then a member of the Los Angeles Angels — after undergoing a UCL surgery on his throwing arm. Fans saw how this was far from limiting his offensive prowess as he became the first player in MLB history to hit 50 or more home runs and steal 50 or more stolen bases in the same season during his inaugural season on the Dodgers.
He is still working to get back to the mound and has been working through a slow, steady approach to return. The goal is to prioritize Ohtani's arm for the later stages of the season, but with an apparent need for pitching assistance, the question of when he will return becomes more relevant.
The hope now is that injured pitchers, like Clayton Kershaw who recently made his 2025 debut, continue to progress and make their way back to the dugout. The season is long and this team is built for October, but the road to get there will be far from easy with the current conditions.
More must-reads:
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Alex Cora appeared to tamper with Kyle Schwarber
Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora appeared to tamper with Kyle Schwarber on Tuesday. Cora’s Red Sox were in the middle of a three-game series with the Philadelphia Phillies, which is why the subject of Schwarber came up. Phillies Nation reporter Destiny Lugardo asked Cora about Schwarber’s upcoming free agency. The Red Sox manager said he would be “very, very intrigued” to see how Schwarber’s free agency plays out. Lugardo took that to mean that Cora will be advocating for the Red Sox to try to sign Schwarber. However, Cora acknowledged that Philadelphia has been great for the slugger. "I hate to say it, but (Philly) is a perfect place for him,” Cora said, via Lugardo. Schwarber, 32, was a trade-deadline acquisition by the Red Sox in 2021. He batted .291 with a .957 OPS in 41 regular-season games with the team. The Red Sox lost in the ALCS that year with Cora as the manager. During that offseason, Schwarber signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies, which has worked out well. Schwarber has slugged 164 home runs over his four seasons with the Phillies with an .849 OPS. He has been such a good fit with the Phillies that the team might not want to let him go. The problem is, Cora even just describing himself “intrigued” over Schwarber’s free agency may be enough to be considered tampering with a player who is under contract with another team.
Matthew Stafford news highlights potential need for Rams
Matthew Stafford's latest injury raises concerns about the depth of the Los Angeles Rams' quarterback room. Stafford suffered a back injury last season, and it's bothering him again at training camp. Rams head coach Sean McVay said the medical concern will force the QB to miss five practices, but it's not season-ending. "He's been throwing, feeling good. It's not necessarily anything that's new. Something that he's dealt with before," the coach told the media. "Going into year 17, we were going to take a modified approach with him, kind of similar to what we did in the offseason program. And so we'll allow him to kind of just work off to the side, on his own, getting himself feeling as good as possible." Stafford's durability has already been waning. The 37-year-old QB missed eight games because of a spine injury and concussion during the 2022 season. The following season, he missed one game because of a right thumb injury. The Rams have a capable backup QB, Jimmy Garoppolo. He has a 43-21 starting record in the regular season in 11 years with the San Francisco 49ers, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots and Rams. Garoppolo, however, is injury-prone. He has battled foot, ankle, knee and shoulder issues over the course of his career. Rams QB Stetson Bennett — a fourth-rounder in the 2023 NFL Draft — has yet to throw a pass in a regular-season game. Plenty of solid free-agent QBs are still available, including one-time Pro Bowler Carson Wentz. He would be a more trustworthy option than Bennett and already knows the Rams' system. The 2016 first-rounder played for the team during the 2023 season. The Rams hope to win their third Super Bowl after consecutive playoff appearances. Injuries at the most important position could derail their aspirations. McVay doesn't seem too concerned about Stafford's health, but L.A. should still consider adding another QB as a precaution.
Maple Leafs get unfortunate news about acquiring Flames veteran
The Toronto Maple Leafs continue to explore ways to upgrade the roster following Mitch Marner's departure in free agency. The Leafs front office has been trying to fill in the gaps along the roster, and they have been searching on the trade front. One name that has been heavily connected to the Maple Leafs in recent weeks is Calgary Flames star Nazem Kadri. Kadri could replace Marner very well in the lineup, but it seems that a deal could be complicated to complete. According to NHL insider Nick Kypreos of SportsNet, Toronto has tried to land Kadri multiple times this summer, only to be rebuffed each time. Kypreos believes that a deal involving Kadri returning to the Maple Leafs could be unlikely at this point in the summer. Last season, Kadri posted 35 goals and 32 assists for the Flames. His presence has been steady on the ice for years, and Calgary could probably get a lot on the trade market for him. The Maple Leafs will likely continue to explore ways to pry Kadri from the Flames. But Calgary likely won't trade him unless it receives an offer that it deems too good to be true. But Kadri is the leader of this team, and he was the best player for them last season. Toronto doesn't have a lot of tradable assets to work with, which could be what is holding things up between the two sides. The veteran could give Toronto a nice boost, but unless the Maple Leafs up the offer, he isn't returning to town.
Chicago Blackhawks reportedly set to trade 25-year-old goaltender to Stars rival, Edmonton Oilers
Is Giants' Joe Schoen already having second thoughts about Jaxson Dart, Shedeur Sanders decision?
The New York Giants were routinely linked with quarterback Shedeur Sanders leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft, but the Giants ultimately traded back into the first round to select Ole Miss signal-caller Jaxson Dart at pick No. 25. For a piece published on Monday, Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News revisited how Giants general manager Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll ended up with Dart instead of Sanders earlier this year. "Members of the Giants’ staff had fawned over Shedeur Sanders," Leonard wrote. "Giants brass had spent a lot more time with Sanders during the fall. Then, Daboll’s increased participation after the NFL season steered the process in a different direction." Sanders allegedly had a rough visit with Daboll ahead of the draft, and a report from early May revealed that "Sanders openly acknowledged during the predraft process that he didn't hit it off with Giants coaches." A different story claimed that Schoen "shifted his preference to Dart this spring as head coach Brian Daboll warmed to Dart as a player and person and Schoen rounded out his own evaluation" before the draft got underway. That said, Schoen raised some eyebrows when he said during a May interview that he knew the club would select Dart over Sanders as of "the week of the draft." Schoen also said the decision was the result of a "collaborative process." According to Leonard, those comments were seen by some as "not exactly a firm endorsement of a player standing out above the rest" as it pertains to the quarterbacks. "...Schoen’s lukewarm rhetoric and reluctance to stick his neck out about Dart caught the attention of some people around the league," Leonard added. "And it has put the rookie in a strange position: trying to validate support that almost sounds conditional." Meanwhile, Sanders fell to the draft's fifth round before the Cleveland Browns traded up to grab him at selection No. 144. As of Monday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook had Sanders (+870 odds) and Dart (+1060 odds) as significant betting underdogs to serve as Week 1 starters in September. Cleveland is expected to go with Joe Flacco or Kenny Pickett for its regular-season opener, while Russell Wilson is on track to start for the Giants against the Washington Commanders on Sept. 7. In short, fans may have to wait a long time to learn if Schoen has any buyer's remorse about possibly being talked into drafting Dart when Sanders was on the board.
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