Oct 25, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman speaks in a press conference before game one against the New York Yankees in the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers' Andrew Friedman Has 2-Word Response to LA's Pitching Injuries

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Gabe Smallson | Last updated May 20, 2025 4:00 PM ET

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.

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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