LOS ANGELES -- As Shohei Ohtani continued building up on the mound at Dodger Stadium, Tyler Glasnow took a step forward of his own in Oklahoma City.
Glasnow made his first rehab start on Sunday afternoon, logging two scoreless innings for the Comets against the Rangers' Triple-A affiliate, the Round Rock Express. Glasnow walked three batters and struck out one without allowing a hit. He threw 48 pitches (22 strikes).
Elsewhere in the Minors, righty reliever Luis García (right adductor strain) also began a rehab assignment, tossing a scoreless inning on nine pitches (eight strikes) for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He struck out one and worked around a two-out double.
Glasnow has been on the injured list since April 28 with right shoulder inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on May 31, a move that was more procedural than an indication of a setback. Glasnow took a couple of days off in early June due to back tightness after throwing his first bullpen session since going on the IL, but his progress toward a return since then has been steady.
Earlier this week, manager Dave Roberts said Glasnow would likely need around three rehab outings -- and a buildup to four innings -- before he's an option for the Dodgers' rotation. Given that rough plan, it's possible that Glasnow could return before the All-Star break.
This past offseason, Glasnow worked on some mechanical changes to his delivery that he believed would help him stay healthy over the course of the season. When the discomfort in his throwing shoulder flared up during a start, one day before he went on the IL, he thought that the offseason adjustments may have thrown off his overall mechanics too much.
"I never land closed, I was opening up, so I was just putting a lot of stress on my shoulder," Glasnow said earlier this month. "My [velocity] was down, stuff wasn’t good, command was really bad. And when it clicked, like anything, it was fine. But I just wasn’t on track and didn’t know how to fix it because it was just so new."
Glasnow is putting an emphasis on trusting his "natural throw" as he works his way back. The Dodgers want him to be free and easy when he's on the mound, rather than being too mechanically minded.
Getting back into game action is also a good way to gauge Glasnow's progress in that regard.
"He’s a very cerebral guy, mechanical, and as he’s gone through this rehab, he’s still thinking more internal, which is understandable," Roberts said earlier this week. "But as he starts to get out on rehab, get closer to competition, real-life game competition, my encouragement is to get more external. You’re going to start trying to get hitters out rather than [focus on] where your delivery is at."