The Los Angeles Dodgers’ 2025 season has been a mirror of what the 2024 season was all about—injuries. It simply floored them, with Blake Snell, Roki Sasaki, Tony Gonsolin, and even Tyler Glasnow taking turns on the IL. It left the team scrambling for stability, and their back-to-back losses were just the result of it. But now, before the All-Star break, some good news has arrived.

On Monday, manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Glasnow will make his return to pitch against the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander, mind you, hasn’t pitched since April 27 due to a shoulder injury. It kept him on the 15-day IL and then on the 60-day IL. Before he was injured, he tossed around 18 innings, had a 4.50 ERA, and struck out 23. But now his real work begins.

This is because the Dodgers are not just hoping for Glasnow to make a lukewarm return. They are expecting him to live by the standard set by a legend. The man in question—Clayton Kershaw, who, just days ago, struck out his 3,000th career batter at Dodger Stadium.

With that, the $7.5 million ace became the 20th player in MLB history to do so. The moment was electric, and it also showed that in LA, excellence is expected. Now, Roberts is handing that accountability torch to Glasnow. When asked how Glasnow can rise to the occasion, Roberts said, “I think Clayton is a perfect example, and I know that’s a high bar in the sense of a mentality of mindset that there’s no other alternative but to realize a certain expectation, and so it’s a vague point I’m making, but I have high expectations, as we all do, for the title, and so we expect him to realize those expectations consistently. 

Roberts also mentioned that what he is looking for in Glasnow is the rhythm. How do you feel right now before the game? The skipper remarked that Glasnow is focused and determined. And if he keeps the timing and delivery in sync, the pitches will be there. As for whether Glasnow will be given some leeway, since he has just come off the IL, Roberts’ answer was a big fat NO! 

“Today I feel that, um, we’ve checked all the boxes, got the pitch count out, and he’s healthy. So, um, I’m going to treat him like any other pitcher that’s been around,” Roberts further told the reporters. Given that the team wants another deep postseason run, these high expectations are understandable. Now it remains to be seen if he will follow in the footsteps of the team veteran.

Dodgers bring back Tyler Glasnow, but it comes at a cost

Sure, Tyler Glasnow is finally back, and that’s great—the Dodgers needed it—but his comeback wasn’t without collateral damage. To make room on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned the former all-star closer Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Oklahoma City, just one day after calling him up. That’s right, Diaz didn’t even throw a pitch before being sent back down.

This is a tough break for the 28-year-old, who once had saved 37 games for the Reds and even made the All-Star team in 2023. This year, he logged six innings in the majors and gave up eight earned runs. Not great, but it must sting to be dropped before an appearance. Ouch! And it wasn’t just him; to clear space on a 40-man roster, even Michael Kopech was transferred to a 60-day IL.

The Dodgers mentioned that it was a precautionary measure, but fans have learned not to put that much faith in Roberts’ injury timeline now. First, Kopech’s shoulder was the problem, and now it’s his knee. As for Glasnow, this start will be his sixth start of the season. The Dodgers will bank on him to stay healthy now and lead the charge. Their once comfortable lead in the NL West has slipped from nine games to five after five straight losses. So he will definitely feel the pressure. Do you think Glasnow will perform as per expectations?