Tyler Glasnow battled persistent elbow issues for three years in Tampa Bay before his collateral ligament collapsed in 2021. The 6-foot-8 right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery in August, where the replacement joint was reinforced with an internal brace.
When Glasnow returned to go 10-7 with a 3.53 ERA and 162 strikeouts in 21 starts for the Rays in 2023, missing two months with a hamstring strain but with no serious arm injuries, he was confident his elbow issues would eventually resolve themselves behind him.
All of which made the frustration in his voice even more apparent as Glasnow talked about his latest setback, a sprained elbow that will keep him out of the playoffs in his first season with the Dodgers since last December’s trade from Tampa Bay.
“It’s just exhausting,” said Glasnow, who signed a five-year, $136.5 million contract extension with the Dodgers. “I’ve done this a few times. When it happens the first time, you try to find ways to prevent it in the future. Then it happens again and you try to find more ways to prevent it. And it’s like, over and over again.”
“I wanted to come here and play in the postseason and win a World Series and that’s when (I would be gearing up for playoffs) they told me I couldn’t do it. So that’s definitely the worst.”
Glasnow went 9-6 with a 3.49 ERA in 22 starts this season, setting career highs in strikeouts (168) and innings pitched (134) before going on the 15-day injured list with elbow soreness on Aug. 16.
Glasnow began throwing again a few weeks later and appeared to be improving after two encouraging bullpen sessions, but after warming up against hitters in a two-inning simulated game in Atlanta on Sept. 13, Glasnow left the bullpen and went to the clubhouse, telling Dodgers trainers that he was feeling discomfort in his elbow.
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“At the end of my warmup, my last five pitches, I felt like something wasn’t right structurally,” said Glasnow, 31. “It was kind of weird. You always go through things as a pitcher, but this was a different feeling. Nothing crazy, but I thought it was a good time to close.”
A follow-up MRI revealed a bruise, an injury Glasnow does not believe will require surgery but will keep him out for the remainder of the season.
“I felt great (up until the simulated game) said Glasnow. “All my clubs were really good. Everything came out (good). As far as materials and bikes, I was ready to play. I thought I was good to go and then it just wasn’t right.”
Glasnow missed some time during the All-Star break with a back injury, but said his elbow felt fine until his final two games in early August, when he was “coming out of mechanical shock.” “It felt like normal soreness, nothing crazy.”
Glasnow said several biomechanics experts and coaches have told him his pitching mechanics are sound, but that he can sometimes get “a little long” in his delivery, a common problem for pitchers as tall as Glasnow.
Glasnow has averaged 7½ feet of “setback,” which is how close a pitcher’s release point is to the plate, over the past two seasons, above the 6-foot-2 average for major league right-handers.
That usually helps Glasnow’s four-pitch fastball, which has averaged 96.3 mph this season, play, but if it puts more strain on his elbow, Glasnow could reduce that extension for next season.
“I have a lot of length, so maybe I’m putting stress on my arm,” Glasnow said. “If there are ways to shorten some things in my delivery or make it more efficient in each start and keep it as consistent as possible throughout the season, I’ll try that. I want to get my arm in a good place, to relieve some stress on my elbow.”
