Tyler Glasnow to return Tuesday for Dodgers vs. Braves

It's been a long wait in LA, but the Dodgers are getting their $136.5 million arm back at the perfect time. Tyler Glasnow is set to return to the mound Tuesday against Atlanta, ending a stint on the injured list that dates back to early May, when lower back spasms first knocked him out.

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Dodgers' Tyler Glasnow To Return On Tuesday t.co/zsypOCIUEE

The timeline here is brutal when you actually add it up. Glasnow landed on the 60-day IL in June and has now missed over 3 months of the season entirely. Before the back gave out, he was arguably the best version of himself in a Dodgers uniform — a 2.72 ERA through 7 starts with strikeout numbers that had him whiffing more than a third of the batters he faced. That's ace-level stuff, and LA has had to go without it for basically an entire summer.

Injuries have always been the asterisk on Glasnow's talent. He's got the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation guy every year, but his body has rarely let him prove it over a full season. Even in his first 2 years with the Dodgers he managed to stay mostly healthy, averaging around 20 starts a season — which made this back injury, and the length of it, all the more frustrating for a team that paid him $136.5 million over 5 years to be a difference-maker in October.

Practically, his return solves a real problem. Glasnow is stepping into the rotation spot vacated by Justin Wrobleski, who just hit the IL himself with left forearm inflammation. So this isn't just a bonus arm getting added to an already-strong group — it's a direct 1-for-1 fix for a rotation that needed depth right now, in the middle of a pennant race.

The Braves series is as good a spot as any for Glasnow to shake off the rust. There's no such thing as a real tune-up start in August with the standings this tight, but Los Angeles clearly feels good enough about where he's at physically to trust him in a live big-league game rather than another minor league rehab outing.

For a Dodgers team built to win now, getting a healthy, dominant Glasnow back down the stretch is as close to a trade-deadline addition as it gets — except this one's been on the roster the whole time.