Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts explained the reason behind the absence of Shohei Ohtani‘s teammate and one of his star pitchers, Tyler Glasnow. In addition, the Dodgers face the possibility of entering the postseason without another of their most important starting pitchers, Clayton Kershaw.

Kershaw is dealing with inflammation in his left big toe caused by a bone spur and is unlikely to pitch again during the regular season. While the Dodgers remain hopeful that the left-hander will be available for the playoffs, that possibility is uncertain.

On the other hand, right-hander Glasnow disagreed with the team’s decision to place him on the 15-day injured list initially. Glasnow has since left the team, leading to speculation about his dissatisfaction with the situation.

Roberts clarified that Glasnow’s absence was approved by the team and that he knows where the pitcher is, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group: “Basically, I knew he was going to be gone. I just don’t feel it needed to be public information where he’s going,” Roberts said. “It’s certainly an excused absence. Obviously, he’s very disappointed and frustrated. I supported the fact that he needed to be away, and that’s okay.”

Tyler Glasnow 31 of the Los Angeles Dodgers is the starting pitcher during their regular season MLB, Baseball Herren, USA game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. IMAGO / ZUMA Press Wire.

The Glasnow departure

Glasnow has been ruled out for the rest of the season due to a setback in his recovery from elbow tendonitis. Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed that additional tests showed Glasnow suffered a sprained right elbow.

The future of the Dodgers in the postseason

With both Glasnow and Kershaw absent, the Dodgers are evaluating options for their postseason pitching rotation. Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and two of the following could be part of the rotation: Walker Buehler, Bobby Miller, Landon Knack, and potentially Justin Wrobleski.