The Los Angeles Dodgers went above and beyond to strengthen their pitching staff this offseason after their 2024 World Series win. LA pushed through the postseason on the backs of its bullpen, with just three healthy starters on the roster all the way to the Fall Classic.

The Dodgers signed Blake Snell and Roki Sasaki to bolster their rotation this winter, and expect Shohei Ohtani to be ready to pitch in the second half.

But their rotation reinforcements haven’t helped all that much.

Los Angeles’ pitching staff has been decimated by injuries — Ohtani is out of commission outside the batter’s box and Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Claylon Kershaw, Emmett Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and River Ryan are all on the injured list.

Dodgers starters have pitched 167 innings over 37 games, the fewest of any team in MLB. Not only have their starters been heavily injured early on, but their healthy arms haven’t lasted very long in games.

Sasaki has made seven starts, but only pitched 30.1 innings, which averages out to 4.1 innings per appearance. He’s been much better recently, though, going at least five frames in his last four starts.

Glasnow dealt with shoulder inflammation before he was moved to the IL, but he’s also only made short appearances, averaging just under 3.2 innings per outing over five starts.

Dodgers rotation hasn’t lived up to the hype with many injuries and short outings

LA dominated MLB offseason news with its big-money acquisitions, but the rotation hasn’t lived up to the hype. Yoshinobu Yamamoto has been excellent, with a 0.90 ERA over 40 innings through seven starts, but he’s done the majority of the heavy lifting with so many starters on the IL.

The bullpen has stepped up to eat innings in response to the rotation’s struggles, but the Dodgers can’t rely on them forever. LA relievers have pitched an MLB-leading 164 innings over 38 games. They’ve done a fine job of limiting runs, but the bullpen is dealing with a fair few injuries of its own. Michael Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen and, most recently, Evan Phillips are on the IL, and the wear on the Dodgers’ late-inning arms will only hurt down the stretch.

Luckily, the Dodgers’ rotation seems to be on the up and up. Tony Gonsolin was reinstated from the IL on April 30 and Kershaw is nearing the end of his rehab assignment. When they, along with Snell and Glasnow, return to action, the Dodgers’ pitching staff could be just as good, if not better, than advertised.