Why Dodgers will be absolutely fine despite recent slump

What makes the slump particularly misleading is that it coincided with the Dodgers’ deepest injury crunch of the season, and that crunch is now clearing up right as September begins. Tyler Glasnow returned from a 94-day stint on the injured list in late August, immediately bolstering a rotation that had been forced to piece things together for months. Catcher Will Smith came off a lengthy IL stint and was reinstated as rosters expanded, while Dalton Rushing and left-hander Justin Wrobleski were also activated, giving Roberts far more flexibility than he had during the losing streak.

Shohei Ohtani is expected back on the mound after a knee issue sidelined his pitching duties since July, restoring a two-way weapon no other team in baseball can match. Even bullpen help is arriving, with closer Edwin Díaz targeted to return in early September after neck inflammation, which should stabilize a relief corps that had blown high-leverage games during the skid. A team that struggled while missing Glasnow, Smith, Ohtani’s arm, and Díaz simultaneously is a very different team once even half of those pieces are back in uniform.

Depth and Track Record Favor a Strong Finish

Beyond the health returns, the roster construction itself insulates Los Angeles from a prolonged slide. This is a team with legitimate championship pedigree, back-to-back World Series titles, and a front office that has built one of the deepest rosters in the sport specifically to withstand injuries and slumps like this one. Even during their worst 24-game stretch of the season, they still went 8-16 rather than collapsing entirely, and they never lost their grip on first place in the NL West throughout the entire ordeal.

With a 9.5-game division lead, a healthier roster arriving in September, and a run differential nearly ten times better than second-place San Diego’s, Los Angeles has both the talent and the track record to shake off this slump well before October baseball begins. History suggests betting against this roster in a long season is rarely a winning strategy, and nothing about the underlying numbers suggests this time will be different.