Yamamoto ‘goal’ still to return before playoffs

LOS ANGELES — Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw will return to the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ rotation within the coming days, but the status of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, one of their other prominent starting pitchers, remains exceedingly uncertain.

Yamamoto is five weeks removed from getting shut down with what has since been diagnosed as a strained rotator cuff and has yet to throw his first bullpen session. He said Sunday that his “goal” is to return before season’s end, with the Dodgers holding out hope for late August or early September. In a subsequent session with the Japanese media, Yamamoto said “of course” he would return — but added that it’s still too early to set a timetable, both for his return to the mound or his return to games.

To this point, at least, Yamamoto hasn’t experienced any discomfort while stretching his throwing progression out to about 200 feet. “Everything is as planned,” he said through an interpreter. The Dodgers desperately need Yoshinobu to join Glasnow and Kershaw at the top of their rotation if they hope to make a deep run in October, but they’re also mindful of their long-term commitment to the Japanese right-hander — for as many as 12 years, at $325 million.

“It’s one of those things where you want to do what’s best for Yoshinobu and make sure he’s healthy now and also in the long term,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “That’s the priority.”

The Dodgers entered the All-Star break with 15 players on the injured list, more so than any team in the major leagues, but are starting to benefit from improving health. Hard-throwing reliever Joe Kelly was activated on Friday and left-handed-hitting outfielder Jason Heyward re-joined the lineup on Sunday. Glasnow, who had a brief stint on the IL because of a stiff lower back, will be activated to start Wednesday night’s game against the division-rival San Francisco Giants. Kershaw, coming back from offseason shoulder surgery, will start the series finale the following afternoon.

Both will proceed with caution.

Glasnow is only 25 innings shy of his career high — 133 1/3, set last year — and the Dodgers are mindful of making sure his stuff maintains heading into the postseason. Kershaw is a 36-year-old who is more than nine months removed from last pitching in a meaningful game. Roberts will be looking out for long, stressful innings, especially within Kershaw’s first handful of starts back.

“We’re going to keep an eye on him,” Roberts said of Kershaw, “and still appreciating that the most important part is getting him built up and getting him ready for October.”

The Dodgers have reasonable hope that two of their relievers, Brusdar Graterol and Michael Grove, will return before the end of July. Ryan Brasier, who is nursing a strained calf but should soon head out for a rehab assignment, could come back shortly thereafter. Mookie Betts (fractured left hand), Walker Buehler (hip inflammation) and Max Muncy (strained oblique) aren’t expected back until some time in August.

The Dodgers are expected to target high-impact players ahead of the July 30 trade deadline and, according to sources familiar with their thinking, will prioritize a frontline starting pitcher — at least in part because it’s still too early to know what to expect from Yamamoto.

Yamamoto’s stint on the IL came shortly after the best start of his rookie season, when he blanked the New York Yankees for seven innings and threw harder than he ever has in the major leagues. Asked if reaching those velocities or incorporating more sliders into his repertoire caused his arm issues, Yamamoto said, “Probably there’s more than one reason. There’s fatigue that probably accumulated on the shoulder, so, not one reason.”

“I do have some frustration,” Yamamoto added. “But I just need to be focusing on rehab. I need to get myself ready to go back.”