When the Los Angeles Dodgers reached spring training earlier this year, they didn’t just look good—they looked untouchable. They were the reigning world champions and had Shohei Ohtani, the most talked-about baseball player in the world, with them. But it’s also not just him, everyone from Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, to even Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki is in LA. So it’s not a surprise because many just cited them as baseball’s best team.

Truth to be told, the Dodgers did back up that hype. They opened the 2025 season with 8-0, and they steamrolled through the Chicago Cubs, then the Tigers and the Braves. It looked like the 116 wins would look routine for them. But baseball has a way of humbling even the boldest bet. So, as the calendar flipped into April, suddenly the narrative had changed.

MLB analyst and insider Ben Verlander didn’t mince words, saying, “I’m tired of acting like this is the greatest team we’ve ever seen.” And can you blame him? Verlander gave the right reasons as to why he said that the Dodgers are not in his No. 1 or even No. 2 top teams anymore. The reason: injuries!

Even going into the season, fans and insiders were concerned because LA has a history of being injury-prone. But time and again, the franchise said it’s not super concerning, yet here they are. They are now sitting at 10-10 over the last 20 games. Verlander said, “10-10 over their games, the offense, batting average-wise, is not in the top half of MLB. They are 10th out of 15 in the National League.” He completely washed the narrative that the Dodgers are the best in baseball.

Because right now, they truly aren’t, and two of their best—Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow—are sidelined. Glasnow has struggled with durability his entire career. And he exited Sunday’s game with the Pirates after just an inning. The diagnosis now is right shoulder inflammation, so he is back on the injured list. The second red flag is Blake Snell, who didn’t get to go big this season. He was shut down with a shoulder inflammation, too. The Dodgers hoped it would be a brief stint, but it ended up being longer. Verlander said he lost hope as he heard: “I just hear injection, shoulder, still not throwing, longer IL stint.”

Many feared that the Dodgers’ huge payroll and superstar roster would kill competition, but not right? In baseball, nothing is guaranteed, and this is proof.

Los Angeles Dodgers’ Tyler Glasnow is frustrated with his injuries

Tyler Glasnow’s shoulders aren’t just carrying the weight of the pitching load; they are also burdened with years of emotional strain. On Monday, the Los Angeles Dodgers placed him on a 15-day IL, and sadly, this isn’t anywhere near the first setback for Glasnow. He has spent time on the injured list in six of the last seven seasons. From back to oblique to forearm to elbow injuries. Also, Tommy John injury in 2021 and last season was credited to elbow tendinitis that ended his run—he has dealt with it all. And he is tired!

Glasnow, talking about his latest injuries, admitted that he has been experimenting with changes to ensure he is healthy. However, those mechanical changes might have triggered this setback instead. “Just making a lot of changes, trying to figure out a way to stay healthy. I think some of the changes led to other things kind of taking over… and at this point, I’m just trying to figure out what to do. It’s just extremely frustrating.” Glasnow even mentioned how he feels bad for his teammates and the people watching him. It is unfortunate, but for now, replacing them in the roster will be Noah Davis. But let’s be real, filling in Glasnow’s shoes won’t be easy

Dave Roberts, though, is hopeful that the team will ride through this wave of injuries because they did so earlier, too. Last season, they had a plethora of players getting injured and on the IL. But they somehow came back at the right time, and the Los Angeles Dodgers did win those rings. So, Roberts and even LA fans have so much to look forward to.

For now, Roberts has been teasing an Ohtani-pitching comeback, which is exciting for the fans. If you are a Dodger fan, do you think this slump will be the end of World Series dreams? Let us know.