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The Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff can't catch a break. On Tuesday, Tony Gonsolin's season came to an end as he will undergo elbow surgery.
Now, the Dodgers will be without top reliever Brock Stewart due to shoulder inflammation, per Sonja Chen of MLB.com. This came before the Dodgers lost to the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday, 7-6.
Stewart is placed on the injured list, and the Dodgers are hopeful for Stewart to return as the season goes on.
Stewart will undergo testing. As a result, the Dodgers' RH reliever Edgardo Henriquez took over and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Afterwards, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the realness of losing Stewart while looking to mold Henriquez into a top reliever.
“Right now, it’s a big loss,” Roberts said. “Obviously, he's a big part of what we’re trying to do, so to not have him available hurts. But I’m happy to get Edgardo back here and essentially put him in a leverage position as far as dominating right-hand hitters and see if he could continue to do what he’s done.”
At the trade deadline, the Dodgers acquired Stewart from the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, the Dodgers are 68-52 and trail the San Diego Padres by a half-game in the National League West.
Also, they are looking to repeat as World Series champions.
Can the Dodgers sustain themselves?
The rash of injuries affecting the pitching puts the Dodgers in a difficult position. Granted, they still have one of the best teams in baseball with their high-profile offense of Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, and Mookie Betts.
Plus, they have been able to get some good production out of Blake Snell and solid innings from Tyler Glasnow, who have returned from injury.
However, their bullpen is where games are either won or lost. Right now, Stewart's temporary absence, combined with the lack of depth, makes their path to repeating as champions more difficult.
