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The Dodgers moved Tyler Glasnow to the 60-day IL, as the right-hander is nowhere close to returning from a back injury.

The Los Angeles Dodgers announced a few moves ahead of their middle game against the Los Angeles Angels. Among them was right-hander Tyler Glasnow being transferred to the 60-day injured list.

With the Dodgers needing a 40-man spot for Nick Frasso, the Dodgers opened one up by moving one of their injured starting pitchers. The right-hander exercised the upward mobility clause, per The Athletic‘s Fabian Ardaya, prompting his addition to the club.

This move is a formality, as Glasnow is nowhere close to a return. The right-hander last pitched on May 6, until back spasms removed him from his start against the Houston Astros. Glasnow was placed on the injured list the following day.

Glasnow had gotten off to a strong start. The right-hander owns a 2.72 ERA in 39.2 innings, punching out 49 hitters. But it looks like the club will have to deal with another lengthy absence for their $136.5 million starter.

Latest Tyler Glasnow Update

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including The Athletic‘s Fabian Ardaya, that Glasnow is not currently throwing. The team awaits clearance from the medical staff for the right-hander to start a throwing program.

That’s pretty much in line with Glasnow’s progression from the prior week. While he had progressed to playing catch, the right-hander’s back issues have prevented him from going any further. It’s unclear if this update means he’s been shut down again or if he’s still at the stage of playing catch.

Until Glasnow can start throwing off a mound again, there isn’t a realistic timeline for him to return to the Dodgers rotation. It’s looking more likely that he’ll be out beyond July 6, which is the first day he’ll be eligible to return. Not only does he have to throw again, but he’ll require a Spring Training-like build up before he can rejoin the rotation.

Fortunately for both the right-hander and the club, his absence hasn’t hurt their season too much in the standings.

Dodgers Rotation Without Tyler Glasnow

Despite Tyler Glasnow’s absence, the Dodgers’ rotation has held steady. They boast the best rotation ERA since May 13 at 1.99, per MLB Stats. Over that stretch, Los Angeles is 17-5.

Shohei Ohtani has his eyes on the Cy Young Award and Roki Sasaki is starting to look like the elite starter the club saw in Japan. Justin Wrobleski has been a pleasant surprise, as the hard-throwing left-hander has a 2.62 ERA in 11 appearances (10 starts).

Of course, that doesn’t mean the Dodgers wouldn’t prefer Glasnow in their rotation. But the latest rotation developments allow them to focus on the right-hander’s recovery. At full strength, he should be a key member of the starting rotation. However, the question of when that will happen becomes pertinent.

Currently, the Dodgers are fielding a starting six of Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Roki Sasaki, Justin Wrobleski, Emmet Sheehan, and Eric Lauer. Lauer and Sheehan are the likely candidates to get bumped from the rotation when Glasnow and Blake Snell finish their rehab.

The longer Glasnow remains out, the stronger the possibility the Dodgers could target a starter at the trade deadline. Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal is one of the many trade candidates linked to the club.

Michael McDermott Michael McDermott covers MLB for Heavy Sports. He’s previously published content for SB Nation, Sports Illustrated, and FanSided in 11 seasons. More about Michael McDermott