Gomes sheds light on outlooks for Snell, Glasnow, Lauer, Graterol

SAN DIEGO -- For better and for worse, the Dodgers have gained some clarity into how their rotation could look over the next couple months.

While the development that Blake Snell needs surgery to remove loose bodies from his left elbow was a blow to the Dodgers, the team is encouraged that he will likely undergo the NanoNeedle Scope procedure, general manager Brandon Gomes said ahead of Monday's series opener in San Diego.

The Dodgers had already been hopeful that Snell could be a good candidate for the NanoNeedle surgery because the loose bodies are located toward the back of his elbow. Compared with the typical arthroscopic surgery to remove loose bodies, the new procedure causes less trauma to the body and could cut about a month off the expected recovery time.

Notably, Tigers ace Tarik Skubal had the same surgery to remove one loose body from his pitching elbow less than two weeks ago. He has progressed quickly, throwing his first bullpen session on Monday.

"I know Blake a little bit. I haven't reached out. I don't really know what his plan is. I don't know what his MRI looks like. I don't know how many loose bodies are in there," Skubal told reporters in Detroit, including MLB.com's Jason Beck. "But if somehow this helps him get back to the big leagues faster and they're more confident in doing this, awesome. If it helps other guys, I'm all for it. I think when you leave the game, you want to leave it in a better spot than how you found it."

Dodgers closer Edwin Díaz had surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow in April and is targeting a return after the All-Star break. Snell's surgery on Tuesday will take place about a month later, so he could potentially return around the same time -- or perhaps sooner.

"Hopefully, it’s the shorter timeline," Gomes said. "That’s the hope and expectation right now. Obviously we don’t know 100% until they’re in there, but that’s what we’re expecting."

Glasnow shut down; Lauer to start
When Tyler Glasnow landed on the 15-day IL with lower back spasms, the initial hope was that it would be a minimum-length stint, which would have lined him up to return this weekend in Milwaukee. That will not be the case, as his back flared up again and he is shut down from throwing for the time being.

When Snell went on the 15-day IL last Friday, the move left only five starters on the Dodgers' active roster. Using a six-man rotation has been key to allowing Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Roki Sasaki to pitch on the rest they're accustomed to, so L.A. will slot newly acquired pitcher Eric Lauer into the mix at some point.

Lauer, 30, was designated for assignment by Toronto last Monday. The veteran southpaw went 1-5 with a 6.69 ERA and surrendered 11 homers in eight appearances (six starts) for the Blue Jays this season. The Dodgers are hoping to unlock a version of him more similar to last year, when he posted a 3.18 ERA across 28 appearances (15 starts).

"The biggest thing is making sure we’re balancing winning as many games as possible, but not panicking and throwing our process out-of-whack here. Trying to balance the short and long term," Gomes said. "This is a guy that’s had a lot of success in the big leagues and somebody that we feel like we can get back to what he was last year."

Setback for Graterol
The Dodgers were happy to see Brusdar Graterol take a step toward returning to the big leagues by starting a rehab assignment earlier this month, but the righty reliever has been shut down after injuring his lower back.

Gomes indicated that surgery could be on the table for Graterol, who has not pitched for the Dodgers since the 2024 World Series. He began this season on the IL while continuing his rehab from right shoulder labrum surgery.

"He’s worked really hard," Gomes said, "so we’re trying to exhaust all options."