The Dodgers introduced Saturday that right-hander Gavin Stone underwent surgical procedure on his proper shoulder on Oct. 9. The surgical procedure was carried out by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and figures to trigger Stone to overlook your entire 2025 season.
Stone, 26 subsequent week, made his large league debut with the Dodgers final 12 months to lackluster outcomes however loved a breakout marketing campaign this season upon being compelled into the rotation by numerous pitching accidents. Stone wound up being one of many membership’s most dependable pitchers for many of the 12 months as key gamers like Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow all fell by the wayside all through vital parts of the season on account of accidents, ineffectiveness, or a mixture thereof. Throughout that point, Stone stepped as much as publish a strong 3.53 ERA (109 ERA+) with a 4.01 FIP in 140 1/3 innings of labor throughout 25 begins, together with an totally dominant 2.73 ERA in his first 15 begins of the season.
Sadly for the Dodgers, Stone started to flag late within the season as he made it out of the fifth inning simply thrice after the All-Star break, pitching to a 4.12 ERA and 5.00 FIP in his closing eight begins of the 12 months earlier than he too was positioned on the IL in early September on account of what on the time was termed proper shoulder irritation. The soreness continued all through the month of September and ultimately led to him being more or less ruled out for the membership’s postseason push slightly below a month in the past. On the time, there was little indication that Stone wouldn’t be able to go come spring coaching 2025 however that’s now not the case because the teen will possible have to attend till 2026 to observe up on a formidable rookie marketing campaign.
Whereas the information adjustments little for the Dodgers as they appear to tackle the Mets within the NLCS on Sunday in hopes of advancing to their first World Sequence because the shortened 2020 season, Stone’s absence is a devastating blow to the membership’s 2025 beginning rotation. With Shohei Ohtani anticipated to return to the membership’s rotation early subsequent 12 months, it appears possible that the Dodgers will make use of a six-man rotation subsequent 12 months because the Angels did whereas Ohtani was pitching for them. Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Glasnow determine to occupy three of these six slots, however the Dodgers have little in the way in which of certainty past that group.
Miller will return to the membership subsequent 12 months however struggled to an 8.52 ERA in 13 begins this 12 months, leaving questions relating to how prepared the membership could be to depend on him for a big variety of begins subsequent 12 months. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May each determine to return to the mound early subsequent 12 months, however will likely be coming off prolonged absences that might make them questionable decisions to pencil in for 30 begins a bit. Clayton Kershaw might return however is undecided about his future after a principally misplaced season on account of harm, whereas each Buehler and Jack Flaherty are ticketed at no cost company this November.
Given the quite a few questions the Dodgers face relating to their rotation depth this winter, it appears possible that bolstering their beginning pitching corps will likely be a precedence for the membership this winter whilst they boast numerous probably robust choices. This winter’s free-agent class of starters is headlined by Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried, and Flaherty. The Dodgers have proven little hesitance about buying on the prime of the free-agent market, so it’s actually possible to think about that caliber of identify being in play for the membership. Even wanting past that group, nonetheless, L.A. might nonetheless bolster their rotation depth with mid-tier choices like Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea, or Luis Severino and even seek for a bounce-back candidate or two as they’ve completed with Tyler Anderson and Noah Syndergaard in recent times.
