Spring Injuries Will Test the Dodgers’ Starter Depth Early

The Los Angeles Dodgers look ready to defend their title in 2026. They have improved their lineup, shored up their bullpen, and have enough starters for a six-man rotation. Or do they? The Dodgers know better than most that a team simply cannot have enough pitching. In the last two years, they have had to get very inventive in order to have enough arms to win a World Series. In addition, they have already announced that they will have a six-man rotation this year. Do the Dodgers have enough starters to start the 2026 season, much less finish it?

Dodgers Must Wonder Whether Even Six Starters is Enough

Within weeks of spring training opening, the first domino fell. Blake Snell was sidelined with a cranky shoulder, which had carried a heavy load in 2025. Gavin Stone soon followed with his own setback from shoulder surgery. Yesterday, it was announced that Snell resumed throwing and will be out at least until the end of April. Manager Dave Roberts said that they “dodged a bullet” with Stone, but a timeline for his return is yet to be announced. In the meantime, someone will have to step up and fill the void. However, Los Angeles does catch a break of sorts because they have a few days off in the first month of the season.

Starting Projections

As of now, the starters will be Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki. All of them have taken turns on the injured list.  Glasnow has yet to make it through a full season in a Dodger uniform. Ohtani will need to be built up to a regular workload once he returns from the World Baseball Classic. If that is so, there has to be someone to piggyback off his starts.

Ride or Die With Roki?

The young hurler Roki Sasaki has felt the weight of expectations since signing last year. It’s easy to forget that the right-hander is only 24 years old. So far, he has been consistently inconsistent. The Dodgers think that if he develops a third pitch, it will increase his chances of success. However, it appears that Sasaki is still a work in progress. In his last outing, his repertoire was reportedly electric, albeit against minor leaguers in spring training. For what it’s worth, the Dodger brass has been betting on Sasaki since the season. Dave Roberts reiterated the point this week when he said that he “doesn’t see” any scenario where the right-hander isn’t in the starting rotation. He is going to have plenty of runway to succeed or fail on his own. The Dodgers are determined not to panic, at least for the first half of the season.