Dodgers Clap Back at Pitcher Injury Exaggeration Claims

The Los Angeles Dodgers are entering a season when a three-peat is more than possible, though it will require another long 162-game stretch, plus the playoffs. The Dodgers are facing the possibility of playing another 22 games on top of the regular season, and with an aging roster that has multiple veterans in their mid-30s, manager Dave Roberts will have a tough balancing act on his hands. During 2025, Los Angeles dealt with a run of injuries in the middle of the season, losing multiple starters from the rotation early on, and then suffering a similar crisis in the infield.

The Dodgers’ depth was stretched quite thin over the year, though there were questions about whether the team was managing the pitchers’ load by exaggerating injuries. Feb 26, 2026; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. Mandatory Credit: Mark J.

Rebilas-Imagn Images Roberts, who had to deal with all of the headaches in the middle of the season from the key pitchers missing time, got angry about the accusation, per Bill Punkett of The Orange County Register. “You don’t think we’d want Snell to open the season right now? It’s so not true,” Roberts said.

“We don’t like not having our starters pitch. ” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dodgers Nation (@dodgersnation) Andrew Friedman responds to the pitching accusation With t he Dodgers investing serious money in their roster — prompting an entirely different discussion about a possible salary cap — there are people who believe their depth allows them to put the regular season on the back burner. However, Friedman rejected the idea that, in terms of pitching, they keep injury-prone pitchers on the shelf longer to make sure they are ready for October.