For much of the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have managed their roster like a sturdy ship battling through relentless storms.
Shoulders, elbows, backs, necks, knees, hands, biceps and blisters have all taken their toll. Now, with October nearing, Blake Snell’s groin injury has added another concern.
In what has become something of an annual challenge, the Dodgers have spent much of their historic pursuit trying to stay ahead of the injured list. The latest figures illustrate just how heavily baseball’s powerhouse has been affected.
The Dodgers rank 11th among MLB’s 30 teams in RotoWire’s latest injury severity rankings, carrying a 75-point score. They have 11 players on the 60-day injured list and another six on the 10- or 15-day IL. RotoWire’s formula places greater emphasis on extended absences, assigning five points for each 60-day IL stint and three points for shorter 10- or 15-day placements.
Ironically, this marks the first time all season the Dodgers have dropped out of the top 10. They ranked eighth at the end of August and had remained in the top 10 for much of the year. Their move down to 11th, however, may have arrived at just the right moment.
Los Angeles has already locked up its 14th straight postseason berth and captured the NL West for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Next comes a bid to become the first National League franchise to win three consecutive World Series titles.
That pursuit will unfold with several of the club’s biggest names still working through injuries.
Shohei Ohtani remains on the 15-day IL while dealing with lingering issues in his left knee and right biceps. Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently told the California Post that Ohtani is “progressing well” and is expected to return before the regular season ends.
All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, who has dealt with multiple injuries this season, was activated Friday after missing time since Aug. 18 because of neck inflammation.
All-Star center fielder Andy Pages is still sidelined with a fractured left hand, though he could be activated during the Dodgers’ final homestand.
Tyler Glasnow is back in the starting rotation, but missed more than three months with lower back spasms before returning in late August. Snell opened the season sidelined by shoulder fatigue and underwent elbow surgery in May and didn’t return until August.
On Wednesday in Cincinnati, he lasted just one inning before left groin tightness forced him from the game. A source told the California Post the decision to remove him from the game was “precautionary,” and Snell himself said he expects to make his next start.
Roki Sasaki has been sidelined since Aug. 27 with a blister on his pitching hand, and Will Smith recently returned after missing nearly three months with neck inflammation.
The Giants and Orioles are the only two teams in RotoWire’s study that have more than 100 points on their severity score due to the amount of players currently on the 60-day IL.
Currently there are 526 roster players currently on injured lists across all 30 teams.
According to Spotrac, the Dodgers have had 26 different players on the IL this season and lead the league in total days players have been on the injured list with 2,194. They trail only the New York Yankees ($91.4 million) with an estimated cash total of $83 million in players salaries on the IL this season.
The Dodgers survived six months of baseball’s version of a demolition derby and still won the West. The question now isn’t whether they were good enough to survive the regular season.
It’s whether enough of them will be healthy enough to survive October and bring home a third straight World Series title.