The Dodgers made an expected roster move on Wednesday, activating reliever Blake Treinen from the injured list .
In an unexpected twist, however, the Dodgers announced that starting pitcher Eric Lauer was going on the injured list in a corresponding move, leaving a Dodgers rotation once blessed with ample depth suddenly short on arms for the stretch run of the season.
Lauer's IL stint came a day after he was knocked around for seven runs in three innings during a 13-8 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals .
According to the team, the veteran left-hander is dealing with elbow inflammation, making him the third Dodgers starter to land on the IL in recent weeks.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Eric Lauer pitches during the second inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday, Sept. 2, 2026, at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Last month, Justin Wrobleski went down with forearm inflammation. And though he made a quick return to rejoin the club on Tuesday, he has been shifted to the bullpen for the rest of the season as he works to rectify his recent problems with giving up long balls.
Last week, Roki Sasaki was sidelined with a blister on his right middle finger . And while he could be ready to return as soon as next weekend's trip to Miami , the Dodgers are still deciding whether he will also shift to the bullpen –– where, like Wrobleski, he is most likely to have a role in the playoffs.
Over this past weekend, Shohei Ohtani was forced into a change of plans to his pitching progression , too, having his expected return to the mound on Sunday scuttled because of ongoing discomfort with his knee and biceps injuries.
Those losses had left the Dodgers operating with only a five-man rotation, rather than the six-man group they've used all season. Because of that, they were already planning to call up a pitcher –– likely Emmet Sheehan , who was demoted to triple-A a month ago amid season-long problems with his mechanics –– to make a spot start this weekend.
Now, they will need to find a more permanent replacement to complement their current starting core of Yoshinobu Yamamoto , Tarik Skubal , Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow , especially as they battle for a top-two National League playoff seed over the rest of the regular season.
In the meantime, Treinen's return will at least give the club's bullpen another experienced option; albeit, one who has struggled to find much consistency over two injury-plagued campaigns the past two years.
Blake Treinen of the Los Angeles Dodgers reacts after striking out Anthony Rizzo of the New York Yankees with two runners on to end the eighth inning of Game 5 of the World Series at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Jason Szenes / New York Post
Treinen has been out since mid-June with elbow inflammation, marking the second straight season he has dealt with issues in his elbow or forearm.
Prior to getting hurt, he had a 3.52 ERA in 29 appearances this year. That represented an improvement from the career-worst 5.40 ERA he suffered in 2025, but was still far off the elite form he has displayed for much of his Dodgers career.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Treinen's return from the 60-day IL, the Dodgers had to make another roster maneuver, transferring injured reliever Will Klein onto the 60-day as he continues to recover from his own elbow problem.
That move will rule Klein out for the rest of the regular season (he originally went on the IL on Aug. 1). He will still be eligible for the team's postseason roster, but his availability remains uncertain and dependent upon his health.
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