Tyler Glasnow has a clear path back to the mound in Los Angeles. He’ll make one more rehab start — scheduled for August 19 with Triple-A Oklahoma City — and then the Dodgers activate him off the 60-day injured list. Manager Dave Roberts confirmed the plan on August 15.
Glasnow has been out since May 6, when lower-back spasms knocked him out in the first inning against the Houston Astros. Three-plus months later, he’s working his way back one outing at a time.
Four Rehab Starts, One Clear Plan
The Dodgers have been methodical about this. Glasnow opened his rehab on August 4 with Single-A Ontario: two innings, 16 pitches, zero runs. He then moved up to Triple-A Oklahoma City, pitching on August 9-10 before completing his third rehab outing on August 14 — 3⅔ innings, 67 pitches, 8 strikeouts, no runs allowed. The stuff hasn’t gone anywhere.
Roberts was straightforward when asked what comes next: «I think our thought is going to do another one, five (innings) and 75 (pitches), and then he’ll join us,» he told reporters on August 15, per DodgersBeat. One more start, five innings, 75 pitches — then he’s back.
The activation won’t happen this week. After the August 19 start, the roster move is expected in the final week of August or the first days of September, depending on how his back responds to that final outing.
What He Was Before the Back Said Stop
To understand why this return matters so much, look at what Glasnow was doing before he got hurt: in seven starts, he was 3-0 with a 2.72 ERA, a 0.83 WHIP, and 49 strikeouts in 39.2 innings. That’s a strikeout every two-thirds of an inning with almost nothing crossing the plate. He was, without exaggeration, one of the best starters in the National League.
On the day he got hurt — May 6 against Houston — he also crossed 1,000 career strikeouts. The first inning that night ended up being his last of the regular season. Three months later, the Oklahoma City Comets are watching him throw like nothing ever happened.
A Rotation That’s Already Good Gets Better
The Dodgers didn’t wait around while Glasnow was out. They acquired Tarik Skubal before the trade deadline, reactivated Blake Snell on August 11, and have Shohei Ohtani‘s pitching return on the horizon for September. The rotation as a group carries a 3.45 ERA and a .218 opponent batting average over 665 innings this season. Add a healthy Glasnow to that mix and it becomes a different conversation entirely.
There is one roster consequence: Justin Wrobleski moves to the bullpen when Glasnow comes up. Roberts confirmed it. Wrobleski held his own as a back-end starter, but with Glasnow, Skubal, Snell, and Ohtani in the picture, there simply isn’t a fifth rotation spot for him.
One Start Away
The Dodgers entered August 13 at 73-48, leading the NL West. The full rotation they’re building — if Glasnow clears that August 19 outing — is their strongest argument for October. One start left to go.
