Dodgers hurler has been 'stabilizing presence,' but will he pitch in playoffs?

The story of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitching rotation in 2024 has been somewhat of a nightmare.

Countless injuries have forced manager Dave Roberts to use nearly 20 different starters, and arms like Clayton Kershaw who have rehabilitated themselves back onto the mound (at various points) have understandably struggled to establish a rhythm.

The Dodgers staff will more than likely figure it out for when the playoffs are underway, but Los Angeles is lucky to be leading their division in the first place, given all the injuries.

One starter who hasn't struggled to remain healthy is rookie Gavin Stone, who has excelled all season for the Dodgers and been a reason that their rotation's stayed afloat.

On Thursday, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report ranked Stone the No. 9 rookie in all of Major League Baseball and acknowledged how important Stone has been to a World Series contender.

"Stone won the No. 5 starter job out of spring training and has been a stabilizing presence in a Dodgers rotation that has used 17 different starters on the year," Reuter said.

"The 25-year-old has tossed a team-high 135.1 innings and the Dodgers are 16-8 in his 24 starts. It will be interesting to see how he factors into the Dodgers playoff plans, assuming Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both return before the start of the postseason."

Despite the imminent returns of Glasnow and Yamamoto, it would be surprising if Los Angeles doesn't give Stone the baseball during the playoffs.

More MLB: Dodgers could hire new manager away from National League foe this winter