Los Angeles Dodgers Wiretap
Dodgers starter Tyler Glasnow was transferred to the 60-day injured list Saturday, another sign that his balky back is hindering his rehab progression.
The 32-year-old right-hander has been out since May 8, two days after a back spasm surfaced. Initially, the team expected him to miss a short period of time.
Instead, Glasnow was shut down and manager Dave Roberts said the pitcher still hasn't been cleared to resume a throwing program.
A race to first based turned into a violent collision that sent two players sprawling onto the field and, eventually, into the dugout.
Arizona's Ildemaro Vargas and the Los Angeles Dodgers' Max Muncy are sore but otherwise OK, but, boy, what a jolt.
"It was terrible," Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte said through an interpreter after hitting a walk-off homer in Arizona's 3-2 win over Los Angeles on Thursday night. "In my 10 years, I've never seen a collision like that."
Shohei Ohtani delivered his third scoreless outing in four appearances Wednesday, throwing six two-hit innings with six strikeouts while going 3-for-4 at the plate as the Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0. His ERA sits at a major league-best 0.74.
Ohtani reached base five times and raised his batting average to .301. It marked his third straight two-way start of the season.
Catcher Will Smith was unequivocal in his assessment after the game.
"He's the best player that's ever walked this earth," said Smith.
Ohtani struggled with command through much of May, walking four and hitting a batter in his prior start against Colorado, but surrendered only three earned runs over 25 innings that month. Both Ohtani and Smith noted a marked improvement in his command Wednesday.
"Today was definitely a lot better than last time," said Ohtani. "Hard to say if today was really good, just have to look back and review it, but I could tell for sure it was better than last time."
Ohtani also overcame an extended hitting slump. From April 17 to May 12, he batted .230 with a .711 OPS. Following two days out of the lineup and mechanical adjustments to his stance, he has hit .415 with a .506 on-base percentage over his last stretch of games.
"The biggest reason for me getting out of that stretch was more mechanical," said Ohtani. "A lot of the success or failure of an at-bat is impacted by how I see, and that's affected by my posture."
Dave Roberts described Ohtani's competitive approach on the mound as exceptional.
"He's literally trying to throw a shutout every time out there," said Roberts.
Ohtani carries a .941 OPS through 57 games as a hitter and 10 mound appearances, though he noted his elevated walk rate is inflating that figure and identified slugging percentage as his primary area for improvement.
The Dodgers have made a flurry of moves to remake their bench after injuries to starting outfielder Teoscar Hernández and utility man Kiké Hernández.
Teoscar Hernández went on the injured list with a left hamstring strain Friday. Earlier in the week, Kiké Hernández sustained a significant tear of his left oblique just two days into his season after he missed the first 53 games while rehabbing from left elbow surgery.
The Dodgers recalled infielder/outfielder Ryan Ward, signed infielder/outfielder Santiago Espinal and optioned infielder/outfielder Hyeseong Kim to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Los Angeles Dodgers utilityman Kiké Hernandez is expected to be activated in time to make his season debut Monday after recovering from surgery on his left elbow.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Hernández should be available for the start of their home series against the Colorado Rockies.
"There's a different energy with Kiké," Roberts said Sunday. "There's a levity. There's an intensity. There's a good worker in there, a winning player. So I'm looking forward to having that edge."
With nearly two months of the 2026 season complete, 22 players from the preseason MLB top 100 prospect list have graduated from eligibility, reshuffling the rankings ahead of what figures to be an active trade deadline season.
Milwaukee Brewers shortstop Jesus Made, 19, moves to the top spot after posting 90th percentile exit velocities that rank among big league averages despite playing in Double-A. His ability to control the strike zone and his defensive profile stand out, though scouts note his swing produces insufficient lift to translate his raw power into home run totals. If that changes in the second half, a significant ranking jump could follow.
Among the most notable movers is Boston Red Sox shortstop Franklin Arias, who climbs from 36th to sixth after posting improved exit velocity and lift rates while maintaining contact. Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries jumps to second after his profile helped pry All-Star closer Mason Miller from Oakland. Pittsburgh Pirates right-hander Seth Hernandez rises from 49th to seventh after slider and fastball shape improvements unlocked his ceiling.
Notable graduates from the list include the previous top two prospects, Konnor Griffin and Kevin McGonigle, along with Samuel Basallo, JJ Wetherholt, Bubba Chandler, Carson Benge, Andrew Painter, and Carson Williams, among others.
Seven players currently on active big league rosters remain eligible but could graduate within weeks.
60FV
1. Jesus Made, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Previous: 3)
2. Leo De Vries, SS, Athletics (Previous: 11)
3. Colt Emerson, SS, Seattle Mariners (Previous: 6)
4. Max Clark, CF, Detroit Tigers (Previous: 8)
5. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers (Previous: 5)
6. Franklin Arias, SS, Boston Red Sox (Previous: 36)
7. Seth Hernandez, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous: 49)
8. Eli Willits, SS, Washington Nationals (Previous: 41)
9. Kade Anderson, LHP, Seattle Mariners (Previous: 16)
10. George Lombard Jr., SS, New York Yankees (Previous: 20)
11. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Cleveland Guardians (Previous: 23)
12. Walker Jenkins, CF, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 9)
13. Trey Yesavage, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (Previous: 14)
14. A.J. Ewing, CF, New York Mets (Previous: 28)
15. Rainiel Rodriguez, C, St. Louis Cardinals (Previous: 19)
16. Aidan Miller, SS, Philadelphia Phillies (Previous: 10)
17. Ryan Sloan, RHP, Seattle Mariners (Previous: 24)
55 FV
18. Josue De Paula, LF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 21)
19. Josuar Gonzalez, SS, San Francisco Giants (Previous: 30)
20. Ethan Salas, C, San Diego Padres (Previous: 110)
21. Ryan Waldschmidt, CF, Arizona Diamondbacks (Previous: 63)
22. Thomas White, LHP, Miami Marlins (Previous: 18)
23. Alfredo Duno, C, Cincinnati Reds (Previous: 29)
24. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 54)
25. Caleb Bonemer, 3B, Chicago White Sox (Previous: 34)
26. Luis Pena, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Previous: 26)
27. Ethan Holliday, SS, Colorado Rockies (Previous: 66)
28. Liam Doyle, LHP, St. Louis Cardinals (Previous: 50)
29. Tyler Bremner, RHP, Los Angeles Angels (Previous: 56)
30. Theo Gillen, CF, Tampa Bay Rays (Previous: 92)
31. Ralphy Velazquez, 1B, Cleveland Guardians (Previous: 33)
32. Jett Williams, SS, Milwaukee Brewers (Previous: 32)
33. JoJo Parker, SS, Toronto Blue Jays (Previous: 52)
34. Zyhir Hope, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 40)
50 FV
35. Cam Caminiti, LHP, Atlanta Braves (Previous: 53)
36. Jonah Tong, RHP, New York Mets (Previous: 31)
37. Noah Schultz, LHP, Chicago White Sox (Previous: 96)
38. Kaelen Culpepper, SS, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 79)
39. Angel Genao, SS, Cleveland Guardians (Previous: 80)
40. Gage Jump, LHP, Athletics (Previous: 42)
41. Jhonny Level, SS, San Francisco Giants (Previous: 84)
42. Emmanuel Rodriguez, CF, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 97)
43. Josh Hammond, SS, Kansas City Royals (Previous: 132)
44. Edward Florentino, CF, Pittsburgh Pirates (Previous: 78)
45. Eduardo Quintero, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 37)
46. Anthony Eyanson, RHP, Boston Red Sox (Previous: NR)
47. Eduardo Tait, C, Minnesota Twins (Previous: 38)
48. Didier Fuentes, RHP, Atlanta Braves (Previous: 88)
49. River Ryan, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (Previous: 125)
50. Jamie Arnold, LHP, Athletics (Previous: 60)
A blockbuster trade that would have sent Shohei Ohtani from the Los Angeles Angels to the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for top prospects Junior Caminero and Carson Williams was seriously discussed before the 2023 trade deadline, according to sources briefed on the negotiations. Angels owner Arte Moreno ultimately declined, and Ohtani left for the Los Angeles Dodgers as a free agent four months later on a ten-year, $700 million contract.
The proposed deal would have sent Caminero, then a 19-year-old at Double-A, and Williams, then a 20-year-old shortstop at High-A, to Anaheim as the centerpiece of the package. The Rays were prepared to include additional pieces to close the agreement, per league sources.
It was the second consecutive year Moreno passed on a significant Ohtani trade. Before the 2022 deadline, the Angels held discussions with the San Diego Padres that would have generated a package comparable to the one San Diego ultimately sent Washington for Juan Soto, a haul that included outfielder James Wood, shortstop CJ Abrams, and left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Sources say center fielder Jackson Merrill was also part of those discussions.
Instead of selling, the Angels turned buyers in 2023, acquiring pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez from the Chicago White Sox among other additions. The strategy collapsed immediately. The Angels lost 19 of their first 26 games in August before Moreno authorized a sweeping roster purge to get under the luxury tax threshold. Their only compensation for losing Ohtani to free agency was the 74th pick in the 2024 draft.
For the Rays, however, the failed deal proved fortunate. Ohtani tore the UCL in his right elbow on August 23, ending his pitching season, before suffering an oblique strain and ultimately undergoing his second major elbow reconstruction. Tampa Bay also lost Shane McClanahan to Tommy John surgery and had shortstop Wander Franco placed on the restricted list amid a league investigation.
Caminero, meanwhile, established himself last season as one of baseball's premier young sluggers, hitting 45 home runs. Williams remains a work in progress offensively but provides strong defense at a premium position.
The Angels, sitting on the American League's worst record with their general manager and manager both in the final years of their contracts, now face familiar questions about a potential selloff as another trade deadline approaches.
Blake Snell will undergo surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow, and the Los Angeles Dodgers expect the two-time Cy Young Award winner to return this season.
Snell made his season debut last weekend, giving up four earned runs in three innings after missing the start of the season because of left shoulder fatigue and inflammation, and the left-hander was scratched from his scheduled start Friday against the Los Angeles Angels.
The surgery is scheduled for Tuesday.
Blake Snell has loose bodies in his left elbow, and the Los Angeles Dodgers' two-time Cy Young Award winner is once again sidelined indefinitely.
The left-hander was a late scratch from his second start of the season Friday at Angel Stadium. Snell only made his season debut last weekend after missing the first six weeks of the season with left shoulder fatigue and inflammation.
Shohei Ohtani pitched seven scoreless innings Wednesday against the San Francisco Giants, lowering his ERA to 0.82 and snapping the Los Angeles Dodgers' four-game losing streak in a 4-0 victory. It was the third time in four starts that Ohtani did not appear in the lineup on a day he pitched, part of a deliberate effort by the club to manage his return to a full two-way role for the first time since 2022.
Ohtani will also sit out Thursday's series finale as the Dodgers look to address a prolonged hitting slump. In his first 10 games this month he collected just three singles and a double across 36 at-bats before an opposite-field home run Tuesday ended a 13-game homerless drought. He has managed only seven home runs and a .796 OPS on the season.
"I do want to contribute more offensively," Ohtani said through an interpreter. "I haven't done so this year, so I'm looking forward to doing that."
On the mound the picture is starkly different. His 0.82 ERA leads the majors by a wide margin, with the second-best mark belonging to New York Yankees right-hander Cam Schlittler at 1.35. Ohtani also ranks third in WHIP at 0.82 and 11th in strikeout percentage at 29.2%. His ERA through seven starts is the sixth lowest in the wild-card era dating to 1994 and the second lowest by a Dodgers pitcher at that point in a season, behind only Fernando Valenzuela's 0.29 mark in 1981.
"He wants to be the best pitcher in baseball," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. "And right now, he's doing it."
Ohtani acknowledged the numbers carry an element of fortune. He noted his final out Wednesday came on a flyball near the warning track and a baserunner being doubled off second after losing count of the outs.
"That could have really swayed my ERA," Ohtani said. "So I think there's some luck involved, as well."
Roberts confirmed that Ohtani's absence from the lineup on pitching days is directly connected to extending his outings. Last week at Houston he threw 89 pitches over seven innings. Wednesday he went back out for the seventh with 90 pitches already thrown and worked out of trouble. The Dodgers operate a strict six-man rotation, which has limited his total innings relative to peers.
Ohtani, who turns 32 in July, said he feels healthy despite the offensive struggles and remains focused on contributing on both sides of the ball.
"Ideal situation is to be great on both sides of the ball," he said. "But if I'm not contributing offensively, then I know I can contribute on the pitching side of things."
