Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Copyrighted by Sarah Morris, 2026

Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers finished the first third of the 2026 season with 34 wins and 20 losses. Their record at this stage of the season is better than they had in either 2024 or 2025 when they won back-to-back world championships.

While the Dodgers have scored the third-most runs in the major leagues, their offensive production has been inconsistent. Their superstars haven’t hit their stride yet.

Many members of the media think the Dodgers’ problem is age. Yes, they are an older team, but the age is a lazy narrative. They have been dealing with injuries. Mookie Betts missed about a month with a strained oblique. On Monday, Kiké Hernández played his first game this season after major offseason elbow surgery, but on Tuesday, after homering, Hernández left the game with an oblique strain. Tommy Edman hasn’t played a game for his team yet after ankle surgery in November. Recently, Max Muncy, after being hit on the wrist, has been out in the lineup, and Dave Roberts hopes he will return on Wednesday.

The pitching has been the Dodgers’ strength this year, though both the starting rotation and bullpen have had injuries. Their 3.10 ERA is the second-best in the majors.

After having a weak bullpen in 2025, the Dodgers have a great relief core, though they have lost many key relievers to the IL. In April, Edwin Dìaz underwent surgery to remove loose bodies in his pitching elbow, and the team hopes he will return to the active roster after the All-Star break. Ben Casparius is on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Jack Dreyer is too. Brusdar Graterol was expected to be a key member of the bullpen but suffered a back injury during his rehabilitation assignment. On Tuesday, Evan Phillips, recovering from last June’s Tommy John surgery, faced batters for the first time, and the Dodgers think he will return sometime around the break.

The emergence of Tanner Scott,  Edgardo Henriquez, and Kyle Hurt has bolstered the bullpen. After having a poor 2025 campaign when he blew ten saves, Scott has been remarkable with a 1.25 ERA and four saves. Henriquez has had much better command in his third partial year in the majors. After missing the entire 2025 season with Tommy John surgery, Hurt has a swing-and-miss changeup and good command.

The Dodgers’ starting rotation has been great. Ohtani is the leader with a 0.73 ERA. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Justin Wrobleski have pitched well. Emmet Sheehan and Roki Sasaki have grown as pitchers this year.

Blake Snell has made one start after missing April with left shoulder fatigue, but he underwent surgery to remove loose bodies from his pitching elbow ten days after making his start. Since he had a NanoScope procedure, the Dodgers hope he can return at some point this season.

Early in May, Tyler Glasnow had back spasms after one inning against the Houston Astros. Originally, the Dodgers thought he would be back in after a few days, but he suffered another back spasm. After twenty days, the team thinks Glasnow will go on a rehabilitation assignment soon.

The Dodgers have the second-best defense in the majors. Teoscar Hernández has improved his defense in left field. Kyle Tucker is a much better right fielder than Hernández was. Over the years, Muncy has become a great defensive third baseman.

When the Dodgers get healthy, they will be dangerous. They have a legitimate chance to become the first National League team to earn a three-peat.