ANAHEIM -- And then there were five.
Just over a week ago, the Dodgers faced the question of who would be the odd man out once Blake Snell returned from a season-opening IL stint with left shoulder fatigue. That decision was pushed back when Tyler Glasnow was sidelined with lower back spasms. It became a different question entirely when Snell landed back on the IL with loose bodies in his left elbow ahead of Friday night's 6-0 win over the Angels.
Do the Dodgers need a sixth starter, and if so, who will he be?
"Right now," manager Dave Roberts said, "I don’t know if we have six candidates."
L.A.'s rotation is composed of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Emmet Sheehan, Roki Sasaki and Justin Wrobleski. The only other healthy starter they have on the 40-man roster is River Ryan -- their No. 6 prospect, per MLB Pipeline -- who just made his first start after a month-long IL stint with a hamstring injury with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The Dodgers are still determining how long they'll be without Snell, which they'll need to know in order to set their rotation for the foreseeable future. Here's a look at the questions facing L.A. in the wake of Snell's injury:
When do the Dodgers need a six-man rotation?
Friday marked the midway point of a stretch of 13 straight games without an off-day for the Dodgers. They filled in for Snell with a bullpen game, with eight relievers combining to shut out the Angels. After that, they should be able to get through the next five games before Thursday's off-day and the subsequent stretch of six in a row with five starters.
After that, a sixth starter becomes a need when the Dodgers play 19 games in 20 days from May 29-June 17. In theory, they could push their five starters to pitch on shorter rest, but that's difficult when three of them -- Ohtani, Yamamoto and Sasaki -- are accustomed to pitching on at least five days' rest. In Ohtani's case, six or more has been the norm.
"I think we’re prepared to do whatever we can," Roberts said. "But I will say the most important thing is to keep the guys on their schedules, not try to push too much because of circumstances with the rotation, because then you start to compromise their health."
What's Glasnow's timeline?
Depending on when Glasnow is ready to come off the IL, the Dodgers may not need to think too hard about how to account for that long stretch of games in June. Glasnow has resumed playing catch, but Roberts said he'll be on the IL for longer than the minimum 15 days. He could return as soon as the end of May, but perhaps June is more likely.
The longer Glasnow is out, the more he'll need to rebuild his arm. After he gets back on the mound, he'll likely need to at least face hitters before he can think about rejoining the rotation. If his absence stretches into June, then a short rehab assignment should be in play as well. The bottom line is this: The Dodgers won't expedite Glasnow's timeline to account for Snell's injury.
Could Ryan join the rotation?
Ryan looked great for the Comets, hitting triple-digits six times in four innings of one-run ball. A return to the Majors, nearly two years after his big league debut, is on the table, but not at the cost of his development.
"It’s a possibility, but it’s a slim possibility," Roberts said. "The most important thing is his progression. If everyone isn’t on board with that and speeding it up, then it’s moot. It’s not going to happen. It’s a non-starter. But if the training staff feels that it’s OK and you’re not compromising him and the progression, then it’s a conversation."
Ryan was sharp during Spring Training, but he didn't break camp with the Dodgers because they wanted him to get some Minor League starts under his belt in his first season back from Tommy John surgery. He's only made three starts because of the hamstring injury, so he hasn't exactly done that.
Who else could be an option?
Cole Irvin, who signed a Minor League deal in February, has fared the best of Oklahoma City's starters, going 3-5 with a 4.09 ERA in nine starts. The veteran left-hander would need to have his contract selected by L.A., but he seems like the team's best non-40-man option at the moment.