Dodgers Notes: Scott’s Season Not Over, Snell Will Make Rehab Appearance on Saturday, Dodgers to Prioritize RHP for ‘Pen & More

LOS ANGELES, CA—Despite a Tuesday night loss, the Los Angeles Dodgers and manager Dave Roberts provided the media with multiple key updates on players such as Blake Snell, Tanner Scott, and health updates for Ben Casparius, who left his putting with an injury. 

Scott Expected to Pitch Again in ‘25 after Encouraging MRI

The topic on everyone’s minds last night, prior to the second game against the Minnesota Twins, was the MRI results for Dodgers left-handed closer Tanner Scott, who left Monday’s game in the ninth inning with a sharp pain in his left forearm.

Before yesterday’s game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that the team was still awaiting the results of Scott’s MRI and an evaluation from Dr. Neal ElAttrache.

However, after the Dodgers’ 10-7 loss, Tanner Scott was available in the clubhouse to talk to the media postgame, where he gave an encouraging update on his arm injury.

Scott confirmed that the MRI revealed only inflammation in his left UCL, not a tear, and that the plan is to stop throwing for the next two days and reevaluate afterward.

It’s a massively dodged bullet as Scott was a key member of the Dodgers bullpen despite his struggles this season, tying a career-high with seven blown saves and a 4.14 ERA in his first season in Dodger Blue.

The bullpen, as a collective unit, has struggled this season, ranking 25th in the league in ERA and leading all of Major League Baseball in innings pitched.

Addressing the bullpen will be the number one priority for the Dodgers’ front office this deadline, per multiple MLB insiders, and that was before the injury to Scott.

In the meantime, Scott has been placed on the 15-day injured list and replaced by former Cincinnati Reds All-Star closer Alexis Díaz, who was recalled from Triple-A OKC.

Snell Will Make 4th Rehab Start on Saturday

As the summer continues, the Dodgers’ starting rotation is starting to resemble what Andrew Friedman and Co. had planned during their spending spree this winter.

Veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw returned in May and has been an above-league-average arm in the rotation since. Tyler Glasnow was activated off the 60-day injured list just before the All-Star break and has looked dominant in his brief two starts.

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has returned to the mound and has been even better than advertised, posting a 1.50 ERA across six appearances.

The next arm set to return is lefty Blake Snell, who has missed most of the season, apart from two starts in April, due to left shoulder inflammation .

After months on the injured list, Snell was finally cleared for a rehab assignment earlier this month, and across three appearances, the lefty has a 2.00 ERA with a whopping seventeen strikeouts in nine innings pitched.

This Saturday, Snell will make his fourth rehab appearance with the plan to go five innings at around seventy-five pitches. If all goes well, it could be the last start in the minors before he rejoins the Dodgers rotation.

Snell signed a massive 5-year, $182 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers during the offseason, but has made just two starts for the team this season. His return would solidify the Dodgers’ rotation, which has been searching for consistency all season.

Dodgers to Prioritize RHP for Bullpen at Deadline

It’s no secret that the Dodgers are going to focus on bullpen help at this year’s July 31st trade deadline. Still, manager Dave Roberts elaborated that the team seeks a right-handed pitcher with the ability to get right-handed hitters out.

“Someone that can take down right handed hitters, everyone knows is something that we’re looking at.”

The Dodgers’ need for bullpen arms is a high priority for the team, as they’ve not only been hit hard by the injury bug, losing key arms such as Tanner Scott, Evan Phillips, and Michael Kopech to lengthy injuries, but have also struggled for most of the year.

The bullpen leads the league in innings pitched (446.2) over the last-place Chicago White Sox and ranks in the bottom fifth of the league in ERA (4.35).

These costs are expected to be very high during this deadline period. Most of the highly sought relief pitchers mentioned—such as Minnesota’s Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith, Baltimore’s Félix Bautista, and Pittsburgh’s David Bednar—are under club control for several years. This control significantly drives up the already high prices.

Roberts also stated that the team is expected to bet on their offensive players to bounce back in the second half.

The team has seen struggles from multiple batsmen this season despite ranking in the top three across every offensive category.

Mookie Betts is having his worst offensive season of his career with an OPS below .700 this season. Michael Conforto is one of the worst-qualified hitting outfielders this season, and even Tommy Edman has struggled since returning from the injured list in May.

Ben Casparius Exits Game with Calf Injury

Just one day removed from losing 2024 National League All-Star closer Tanner Scott due to a left arm injury, the Dodgers could also lose dependable right-handed arm Ben Casparius.

Casparius, 26, exited yesterday’s game after struggling out of the gate, issuing a leadoff walk, then giving up a double and loading the bases on another free pass. Casparius then walked Carlos Correa on four pitches to bring in a run, and it prompted him to gesture toward the dugout.

After the game, Casparius confirmed that it was his calf cramping, and he’ll get an MRI on Wednesday morning.

“Hopefully it’s not a crazy setback and we’re back to business,” Casparius said postgame in the Dodgers clubhouse. “It depends on how I wake up feeling, if it’s pain, it could be a strain, but I’m hoping it’s just pretty bad cramps.”

It was Casparius’s 30th appearance this season for Los Angeles as he emerged as one of the top arms for Dave Roberts in the bullpen.

The success led to Casparius’s role changing in June, with the Dodgers down multiple arms in the rotation, needing Ben to pitch multiple innings as a starter or as a bulk-inning relief pitcher.

However, the right-hander struggled in the role and has looked lost over his last seven appearances, posting an 11.02 ERA and 2.02 WHIP in that time.

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