Glasnow strikes out 8 in sharp rehab start, expects to make one more

LOS ANGELES -- As he closes in on his return to the Dodgers, right-hander Tyler Glasnow is bringing his best stuff to his rehab assignment, which continued on Friday night with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

After posting a 2.72 ERA through his first seven starts, Glasnow has been sidelined for much longer than expected since lower back spasms landed him on the injured list in May. His back flared up on him in early attempts to ramp up, but slow-playing his throwing program allowed him to make linear progress without further setbacks.

Here's everything to know about Glasnow's third rehab start:

How did he perform?

Glasnow did not allow a hit across 3 2/3 scoreless innings against the Albuquerque Isotopes. He struck out eight of the 13 batters he faced and walked a pair. He threw 39 of his 67 pitches for strikes.

Opposing hitters whiffed 11 times on 27 swings (41%) against Glasnow, whose 96.3 mph average fastball velocity was up 1 mph from his season average.

What's next?

Glasnow is expected to make his next -- and likely final -- rehab start on Wednesday. He'll look to stretch out to the five-inning, 75-pitch threshold. Once he checks that box, he should be ready to return to the Dodgers' rotation.

What else?

Glasnow's eventual return will likely bump Eric Lauer from the six-man rotation. Without having Shohei Ohtani as one of their six starters, the Dodgers are a man short in the bullpen as a result, but they believe prioritizing extra rest for the rotation is important down the stretch. Ohtani took an important step forward in his own rehab on Friday, throwing his first bullpen session since restarting his throwing progression last weekend.