The Dodgers’ Rotation Is as Volatile as It Is Talented
Injury concerns shroud the Dodgers' neatly constructed 2025 starting rotation.
For the second straight year, the Los Angeles Dodgers will kick off the MLB season ahead of the pack, facing the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo on March 18-19. While winning a championship usually buys a team some breathing room, the Dodgers don’t deserve nor do they want any slack, entering 2025 with their foot hard on the gas, eyeing a repeat.
On paper, this roster is arguably the most stacked in franchise history as they chase back-to-back titles – something no team has accomplished since 2000. But for all their firepower, one thing could dictate their season more than anything else: their starting rotation.
The Dodgers won it all in 2024 despite an injury-ravaged pitching staff, relying on a patchwork postseason rotation of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, and Landon Knack. That run proved they have the offensive firepower, bullpen depth, and the resources to withstand adversity. But can they defy the odds again if injuries pile up?
The 2025 Dodgers rotation is loaded with ace-level talent but carries enormous risk. It could be one of the best in baseball – or a fragile experiment that struggles to stay intact.
A Rotation of Aces, When Healthy
At full strength, the Dodgers’ rotation features some of the most dominant pitchers in baseball.
Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell, and Roki Sasaki could make up a historically formidable front four. Add in the eventual return of Shohei Ohtani, three-time CY Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw, and the presence of both All-Star Tony Gonsolin and flamethrower Dustin May, and this staff has the potential to be one of the best in recent memory.
But that’s the problem – “at full strength” is a massive caveat.
Nearly every member of this rotation carries significant durability concerns. Glasnow’s career high in innings pitched is a modest 134 — a mark he set last season — and injuries have limited him for much of his career.
Yamamoto, while an ace in Japan, is coming off a season in which he missed three months with a strained rotator cuff. Snell has thrown fewer than 160 innings in four of the past five full seasons. Sasaki, the 23-year-old phenom, has logged just 202 innings in the past two years in Japan and saw his fastball velocity dip last season.
Then there’s Kershaw, a future Hall of Famer, but also a 36-year-old coming off surgeries on both his left foot and left knee.
Gonsolin is returning from Tommy John surgery, and May, who last pitched in May 2023, has battled both Tommy John and additional health setbacks.
The Ohtani Factor
It almost feels like an afterthought, but Ohtani is set to return as a two-way player in 2025.
After winning NL MVP as a DH and helping the Dodgers capture a title in his first season, Ohtani’s pitching return is a massive X-factor. He’s expected to take the mound as early as May, though the team has remained vague on his timeline.
From 2021-2023, Ohtani posted a 2.84 ERA with 542 strikeouts over 430 innings. While ZiPS projections forecast a modest 3.77 ERA and 100 innings in 2025, betting against Ohtani exceeding expectations feels unwise.
His return will also impact the Dodgers’ rotation strategy. The team plans to implement a six-man rotation, which could help preserve arms like Sasaki and Glasnow while ensuring Ohtani is built up carefully.
The Dodgers will start the season with Yamamoto and Sasaki headlining in Japan, but their ultimate goal is to make it to Ohtani’s return with the rotation still intact.
A Balancing Act
The Dodgers have depth beyond their projected starters, but even that depth is precarious.
Gavin Stone and Michael Grove are out for the season, while Emmet Sheehan, River Ryan, and Kyle Hurt are all working their way back from major injuries. Sheehan has an outside shot to return before the All-Star break, while Ryan and Hurt could get back by the end of the regular season, at the earliest.
And then there’s the wild card Bobby Miller, who shined as a rookie in 2023 but posted an ERA near 9.00 in 2024.
Of course, we can’t forget about Landon Knack. The 27-year-old had a reliable rookie campaign in 2024, pitching to a 3.65 ERA in 69 innings, before eating seven innings in the playoffs.
Left-handed pitcher Justin Wrobleski struggled in 36 innings with the Dodgers in 2024, but he has the athleticism and the potential to be another solid resource should the Dodgers need him.
From the minor leagues, Nick Frasso is the best candidate to make his debut in 2025 and have a solid impact, but even he has proven fragile. At 26 years old, Frasso missed the entire 2024 season in the minors due to shoulder surgery. If he can remain healthy and regain his stuff, Frasso’s plus-plus fastball, plus changeup, and plus slider can help him find his way to the Dodgers in 2025, should they need to turn to him.
With question marks throughout, the Dodgers’ rotation isn’t just about talent—it’s about endurance. Managing innings, workloads, and reinforcements will be a season-long balancing act.
Boom or Bust?
If everything breaks right, this rotation could be historically dominant. If it doesn’t, the Dodgers may find themselves scrambling to patch together innings while hoping their offense can carry the load in consecutive seasons.
Given their star power, the team remains a favorite to repeat as champions. But their pitching staff is a house of cards – one that could stand tall or collapse under the weight of its own fragility.
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