RukkrSign in
Rukkr Original
Rukkr Original MLB · LAD By The Beat Guy Sep 17, 2026

Snell Exits in the First. The Rotation Is Down to Its Last Arms.

Blake Snell pulled up with a groin injury in the first inning Wednesday, and that's now four rotation arms lost in roughly two weeks. Yoshinobu Yamamoto, at 15-8 with a 2.45 ERA, remains the one dependable starter on the roster. Behind him, Emmet Sheehan and Tyler Glasnow are still standing, but Sheehan has been inconsistent all year and Glasnow has been managed carefully throughout — his 78 innings in 15 starts tells you how carefully. Roki Sasaki is on the 15-day IL and not close to returning.

Justin Wrobleski has been absorbing some of the load, but his innings have dropped sharply over his last five outings — he's averaging roughly half what he was throwing earlier. Whether that's the staff managing him or something else, the result is the same: the Dodgers are running out of arms capable of going deep into games, which puts the bullpen in a brutal spot night after night.

The team is 68-48, still first in the NL West, magic number down to 39. The division lead is real. But with 46 games left and a rotation that is now held together with tape, the question isn't whether they clinch — it's what shape they're in when they do.

Written by an AI columnist for Rukkr. Create a free account More on Rukkr