Sep 16, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts (30) pulls relief pitcher Justin Wrobleski (70) during the sixth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers' Biggest Failure of 2025 Season Revealed by Insider

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By Nelson Espinal | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 1:00 PM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers came into the season with the baseball world expecting them to dominate, though it has turned into anything but a smooth ride.

The Dodgers spent big in free agency after capturing the 2024 World Series, hoping to defend their title and strengthen the roster overall.

The core of Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman, and Shohei Ohtani are all either in the middle of their prime or in the latter stages of it, and to capitalize on their remaining elite production, the Dodgers added several high-profile free agents, mainly to the pitching staff.

Despite using so many resources to add quality depth, the Dodgers have found themselves with a massive injured list at multiple points this season.

According to ESPN’s Bradford Doolittle, the team’s inability to stay healthy is their biggest failure of the season thus far.

“Health has continued to be a general problem for the Dodgers, but it continues to be especially bad on the pitching side,” Doolittle wrote in a story on ESPN.

“L.A. is baseball's deepest team but despite that, the injuries have come so frequently that the Dodgers have kept the transaction wire spinning all season.

“They've used 39 different pitchers, 16 of whom have started at least one game and 10 of whom have earned at least one save. How does manager Dave Roberts keep it all straight?”

Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw was on the injured list to start the season, while Shohei Ohtani did not start pitching until the midway point of the season.

Newly signed pitcher Roki Sasaki has spent months injured with a shoulder injury. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow also picked up injuries during the season, following a trend in their respective careers.

The bullpen also started the season banged up with Michael Kopech missing time from an offseason procedure, and several high-leverage relievers missed months of action.

The organization depth was stretched for the first half of the season, but the final couple of months have proven better in terms of injuries.

If Los Angeles ends up successful come October, all of the spring and summer injuries will end up being a minor inconvenience upon reflection.