Dodgers pitcher Tyler Glasnow back on injured list because of elbow issue

Dodgers ace Tyler Glasnow was placed on the 15-day injured list because of right-elbow tendinitis just minutes before Friday night’s series opener against the St. Louis Cardinals in Busch Stadium, dealing another blow to an injury-ravaged rotation that the team has struggled to patch together.

Glasnow, who is 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts, with career highs in strikeouts (168) and innings (134), was scheduled to start Saturday night against the Cardinals. Instead, he was placed on the IL for the second time this season, and Bobby Miller , who hasn’t pitched for the Dodgers since July 9, will start in Glasnow’s place.

Manager Dave Roberts said after Friday night’s 7-6 win over the Cardinals that an MRI test showed no structural damage in Glasnow’s elbow, and the right-hander is expected to return when his IL stint is up, or shortly thereafter.

Glasnow, who gave up two runs and five hits in seven innings of last Sunday’s 6-5 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates in Dodger Stadium, was able to complete his between-starts bullpen workout in Milwaukee, but the elbow flared up while he was playing catch the following day.

“The impetus of putting him on the IL is so we don’t have to worry about how we manage him moving forward,” Roberts said. “He was fighting tooth and nail to make the start [on Saturday], but we’ve been very consistent as far as getting guys ready for the stretch run, and he’s a big part of finishing this season off the right way.

“If he were to make the start, I would’ve been on pins and needles from the first throw, and I don’t think that’s good for him or good for the team. We made the right decision. Tyler was really disappointed because he wanted to take the baseball, but I think as an organization this was something we had to do.”

Glasnow, who was acquired from Tampa Bay and signed to a five-year, $136.5-million extension in December, has a history of injuries, including years of elbow troubles that eventually led to Tommy John surgery in 2021. He missed two weeks of July because of back tightness.

Glasnow is well past his previous high of 120 innings set last year, but Roberts is confident that when he returns, there will be no limits to how many innings and pitches he throws in the final month of the season and the playoffs.

“When he comes back, I think the governor is off,” Roberts said. “That’s the point of being in this process. He’s not going to come back until we feel like we can use him the way he’s supposed to be used, as a major league ace.”

Miller had a breakout rookie season last year, going 11-4 with a 3.76 ERA in 22 starts, with 119 strikeouts and 32 walks in 124⅓ innings, but he is 1-2 with an 8.07 ERA in seven starts this season.

Miller opened the season in the rotation but made only three starts before being placed on the IL, missing two months because of shoulder inflammation. He struggled in four starts in June and July and was demoted to triple A.

Freeman milestone

Freddie Freeman played in his 2,000th game Friday night, the 15-year veteran becoming the 252nd major leaguer to reach that milestone.

“When you’re a kid, you never know if you’re going to get one game in the big leagues,” said Freeman, who entered Friday with 2,236 career hits, 338 homers, 502 doubles and 1,214 RBIs. “I obviously want to play more than 2,000 games, so I think it's a stepping stone, but to take a step back and realize how hard it is …

“That means teams want you to play every day, you're playing good enough for the team to allow you to play, you have good health, you’re posting every day, taking care of yourself … so there is a lot to go into, and I do think it's a really cool thing.”

Yamamoto injury update

Yoshinobu Yamamoto, out since June 16 because of a rotator-cuff strain , threw to batters in a 17-pitch simulated game in Busch Stadium on Friday afternoon, a workout Roberts described as “good.”

Yamamoto, who went 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA in 14 starts before injuring his shoulder, said he will need at least two more live batting-practice sessions — probably lasting two and three innings — before going on a minor league rehabilitation assignment.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .