Tyler Glasnow is officially back, and he is coming in hot, real hot. The Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher just absolutely ripped through his minor league rehab assignment, culminating in a dominant performance on Wednesday night. In what is likely his final tune-up for Triple-A Oklahoma City in Sugar Land, Texas, Glasnow pitched into the sixth inning and punched out a whopping nine batters. This dude looks like he is ready to take the mound and make some noise.
That Final Rehab Start Was Just Nasty
Let’s talk about this final rehab start because it was just plain nasty. Glasnow was incredibly efficient, needing only 77 pitches to carve through 5 1/3 innings, with a ridiculous 54 of those being pinpoint strikes. Seriously, that is an insane level of command right there, he was just dealing! He let up a one-out double to Zach Dezenzo in the second inning, which could have been trouble, but he totally stranded that guy, showing off his poise. Then, Collin Price worked a walk to open the sixth inning, but that was literally it for any real trouble. Glasnow was just lights out, retiring 16 of the 18 batters he faced. And get this, six of his 12 swinging strikes came from his wicked knuckle curve, a pitch he threw 20 times on the night. That thing was clearly fooling hitters, making them look silly. The only blemish on his ledger was that walk coming around to score *after* he left the game in the sixth, which stings a bit but hardly takes away from the overall picture of pure dominance.
Coming Off The IL Like He Never Left
After missing more than three long months on the injured list with those nagging back spasms, you might expect a pitcher to ease his way back, right? Not Glasnow. He did not just ease, he absolutely slammed his way back into form. Across his four rehab starts , three with Oklahoma City and one with Class-A Ontario , he gave up a meager two runs over a solid 13 2/3 innings. Think about that: two runs in nearly 14 innings after a three-month layoff! He racked up an impressive 19 strikeouts against just four walks. The control, the power, it all looked absolutely dialed in. The dude was striking out 41.7 percent of the batters he faced throughout his rehab, which is already elite. But then, it jumped to an insane, eye-popping 54.8 percent over his last two Triple-A outings. That kind of swing-and-miss stuff is what wins ballgames at any level, and it tells you everything you need to know about where he is at right now.
The timing could not be more perfect, either. With Justin Wrobleski now on the injured list, the Dodgers need arms, and Glasnow is obviously the answer. He is expected to jump right back into the big league rotation on their road trip next week, and all signs point to him lining up to start against the powerhouse Atlanta Braves in what will be a huge series running Tuesday to Thursday. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Dodgers designated reliever Jonathan Hernández for assignment on Wednesday. It is a clear sign they are ready for their ace to return and impact the team immediately. This is exactly the kind of boost a team needs mid-season.
So, if you are a Dodgers fan, you have got to be absolutely stoked right now. Glasnow’s return is a massive, massive shot in the arm for that rotation, especially with a tough Braves series on deck. If he brings even a fraction of this rehab dominance to the big league mound, the entire National League better watch out. That series against Atlanta is going to be appointment viewing next week, no doubt. Get ready for some serious heat!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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