Friday, September 26, 2025

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2025

Entering the National League Wild Card series, the Los Angeles Dodgers found out that their biggest trade acquisition, Brock Stewart, needs right shoulder surgery. He will miss the remainder of the 2025 season and the start of the 2026 season. The Dodger general manager, Brandon Gomes, described Stewart’s upcoming shoulder surgery as a debridement procedure.

Max Muncy, Will Smith, and Tommy Edman are dealing with injuries. To be clear, no baseball player is healthy. However, these injuries are more serious than normal.

Smith has a hairline fracture in his right hand. He tried to play two weeks ago before a test final revealed a hairline fracture. His availability for the Wild Card series is questionable.

Muncy has an unspecified lower-body injury. Dave Roberts isn’t worried about Muncy’s injury and is confident that he will be able to be in the lineup on Tuesday. Since July 2^nd, Muncy has barely played because of injuries. He had a bruised bone in his knee that made him miss a month. Then, he sustained an oblique strain that kept him about another month. During the series with the San Francisco Giants, Muncy was hit multiple times. Being hit by pitches takes a toll on the body.

Entering the postseason, the Dodgers have a major question about their bullpen. It’s been bad. Although the Dodgers used it heavily in the first half, it isn’t the reason.  Neither Tanner Scott nor Kirby Yates has performed well. Blake Treinen missed three months with a right forearm sprain. Since he came back, he has struggled to find the strike zone.

Roberts believes it is a confidence problem. Rather than attacking the strike zone, the Dodgers’ relievers had been nibbling at the strike zone, resulting in walks. This is causing the problem.

The bullpen is missing Evan Phillips (Tommy John surgery) and Brusdar Graterol (shoulder surgery in November 2024). Now, the Dodgers don’t have any right-handed specialists to get out right-handed hitters.

On Friday night at  T-Mobile Park, the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Seattle Mariners 3-to-2. Though Blake Treinen and Tanner Scott struggled, they got out of their innings without giving up the lead. Roki Sasaki still impressed as a reliever. Kiké Hernández blasted a two-run homer, and Dalton Rushing singled in Michael Conforto.