Dodgers Taking Cautious Approach With Tyler Glasnow’s Recovery

The Los Angeles Dodgers at one point weren’t sure if it would be necessary to place Tyler Glasnow on the 15-day injured list, but now they aren’t certain of when he will return.

Glasnow has started playing catch over the course of multiple days and also worked on recovery activities behind the scenes. However, the timeline for his return is still up in the air.

“He’s in the training room and working on his core, the back, and all that stuff. I think he was playing catch [Wednesday] and today, but I don’t is the short answer,” manager Dave Roberts answered when asked if expected Glasnow would be activated once he’s eligible on May 22.

The 32-year-old has been dealing with lower back tightness and discomfort. The Dodgers did not find anything to be overly concerned about from an MRI.

L.A.’s hand was not forced when making this decision, but they ultimately saw no harm in taking precautions.

The prognosis for a quick IL stint does not look particularly promising at the moment, as the organization plans to err on the side of caution. Roberts said he is not sure how close Glasnow is to throwing off the mound.

“I know he’s just been playing catch, so I don’t know what the next step is for him to get off the mound. But I know we’re going to take our time with him. I do know that,” he said.

Glasnow was off to a fantastic start this season, with a 2.72 ERA and 11.12 strikeouts per nine across 39.2 innings. Fortunately, the Dodgers were able to fill his absence with Blake Snell to balance things out.

Tyler Glasnow views back issues as inevitable

Glasnow has dealt with lower back issues throughout his career, including an identical incident last season, and he has previously blamed it on his 6’8 stature.

In 2025, Glasnow stated his belief that the threat of his back issue flaring up is unavoidable. However, he has learned to manage these situations better to prevent it from becoming a bigger issue.

Part of that process is identifying when the discomfort can be made worse by trying to play through it.

“Sometimes it’s inevitable,” Glasnow said last year. “But I think if there is something there, it’s just important to go check my hips and get everything back in line.”