Tyler Glasnow clears key hurdle in familiar challenge in Dodgers injury return
ATLANTA –– In the past, the Dodgers might have been more worried.About how Tyler Glasnow would return from yet another injury.About whether he could rediscover his dominant form from early season.
About how he would handle the latest physical setback in a career that has been full of them.“Things that were really out of his control got to him more than they should have,” manager Dave Roberts said of the old Glasnow, the one who could never seem to consistently live up to his potential.Now, however, Roberts and the Dodgers have developed renewed faith in their former $136.5 million signing –– a belief that was put to the test immediately in his return from the injured list on Tuesday night.After missing the last 3 ½ months with a back spasms problem that lingered far longer than initially expected, Glasnow was dealt early adversity in his comeback start against the Atlanta Braves, getting BABIP’d to death with four softly-hit singles in a three-run first inning.It was the kind of sequence that, in the past, might have sent Glasnow spiraling.This time, though, the newly-turned 33-year-old settled down, found a groove and didn’t allow any further damage over a five-inning, seven-strikeout outing at Truist Park.“I just think that he’s come of age,” Roberts said.“He’s kind of coming into his own right now.”Roberts has felt that way since last October, when Glasnow overcame another long-term injury (shoulder inflammation that cost him almost three months) to play a leading role on their postseason pitching staff.During the World Series run, Glasnow had a 1.69 ERA in six outings.
He came out of the bullpen three times, including for a save in Game 6 of the World Series.He maintained a level of consistency that had too often eluded him over his decade-long big-league career –– one in which he has never made more than 22 starts in a regular season (and even that was in 2024, when he missed the playoffs because of an elbow problem).
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