Sports
News Analysis: ‘Not ideal.’ As Dodgers wait on pitching reinforcements, October questions still linger
On three occasions Wednesday afternoon, Dave Roberts uttered the same phrase while discussing the shorthanded state of the Dodgers’ injury-plagued pitching staff.
“Not ideal,” the manager said.
And with October on the horizon, time is running short for the situation to improve.
With a sweep of the Seattle Mariners this week, the Dodgers did maintain the best record in the majors at 76-52. They also moved four games clear of the San Diego Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West standings, their biggest division lead in more than two weeks.
Those marks, however, belie the tenuous state of what remains a patchwork starting rotation. They do little to answer the questions awaiting the Dodgers’ still uncertain potential pitching plans come the playoffs.
As things currently stand, it’s anyone’s guess what the Dodgers’ rotation might look like a month from now.
Roberts, who was peppered with pitching questions before Wednesday’s game, was no exception.
“Short answer,” Roberts said when asked if the Dodgers are still facing “too many” variables on the mound long-term, “yes.”
At the moment, the two primary linchpins are Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — the almost half-billion-dollar duo the Dodgers acquired this winter hoping to avoid this exact fate.
Glasnow and Yamamoto have been good when healthy, but both are currently on the injured list and not expected to return until next month.
On Wednesday, Yamamoto threw his second simulated game since a June shoulder injury, pitching two innings at Dodger Stadium in what Roberts described as a “big step” for the rookie Japanese right-hander.
“I think at this point, everything’s starting to get all together,” Yamamoto said through his interpreter.
Still, the 25-year-old has several boxes to check before returning, including another three-inning sim game next week, then a minor-league rehab stint that could last another week or two.
That puts Yamamoto — who was 6-2 with a 2.92 ERA before suffering a strained rotator cuff — on track for a mid-September return.
Does that leave enough time for him to ramp up before the playoffs?
“It’s obviously not ideal,” Roberts said. “But I still think getting him back to health and building him up is [what will give us] our best ball club. So we’re going to make the most of it.”
Glasnow could find himself in an unexpectedly similar spot.
After going on the injured list with elbow tendinitis last weekend, the right-hander had still yet to resume throwing as of Wednesday. Because of that, Roberts acknowledged Glasnow’s return will likely stretch “beyond” the 15-day timeline in which he was initially expected back.
Roberts downplayed any growing concern about Glasnow’s long-term status.
“I know he’s probably frustrated,” the manager said. “But you’ve got to listen to your body.”
Nonetheless, the longer it takes Glasnow to return, the more his situation will start to mirror Yamamoto’s — leaving potentially little time for him to rejoin the rotation and ramp back up before the playoffs.
“He was fighting to stay off the IL and wants to be there for his teammates,” Roberts said, searching for optimism. “But I think with the build-up that he’s had, [missing] a couple weeks isn’t going to cut too much into what he’s already been built up to do.”
The Dodgers can only hope so.
Beyond Glasnow and Yamamoto, the team’s other pitching options represent more of a mixed bag.
While top deadline acquisition Jack Flaherty has been solid in his first four Dodgers starts — he’s gone 3-0 with a 3.22 ERA and 29 strikeouts — he has only completed six innings in one of those outings, and bemoaned inconsistent command Wednesday night that drove up his pitch count.
“I feel like I came over in a good spot, and then kind of hit probably the weirdest funk I’ve been in all year, in terms of just like nibbling, not quite getting deep enough in games, just not quite being as sharp,” Flaherty said, after a 5⅔ innings start against the Mariners.
“I’ve still been able to get guys out, still make pitches, which is good. But if you execute [better], you end up getting deeper into games. So it’s really close. It’s just a matter of continuing to work and turning starts like tonight into seven innings.”
The team’s next best fall-back options are Gavin Stone and Clayton Kershaw.
Stone, a rookie right-hander who was an All-Star candidate early this year, has started to bounce back from his midseason malaise, but still has an ERA over 5.00 since the start of July.
Kershaw, meanwhile, continues to defy his 36-year-old age, having given up just two total runs in three starts this month. However, after undergoing shoulder surgery in the offseason, his diminished stuff has often looked reminiscent to the end of last year, when he managed to navigate the regular season before getting shelled by the Diamondbacks in the playoffs.
Ideally, the Dodgers would likely prefer a Glasnow-Yamamoto-Flaherty playoff rotation, with Kershaw and/or Stone providing extra starting depth in a longer series.
If the Dodgers suffer any more injury setbacks among that group, though, their only other alternatives might be Walker Buehler or Bobby Miller — neither of whom have looked sharp this year returning from their own injuries.
That’s why, even with October a little more than a month away, Roberts continued to express caution about postseason pitching plans; crossing his fingers that the last month of the season will produce better injury luck than most of this campaign has so far.
“We’re sort of going through it right now,” Roberts said. “I guess if the ship is righted, then I’d rather it be right now, and get the guys that we know have been good to pitch well. But not ideal is probably fair.”
Sports
Anthony Richardson free to seek trade after injury setbacks amid Colts’ shift to Daniel Jones
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Anthony Richardson Sr.’s future in Indianapolis faces more uncertainty than ever.
The Indianapolis Colts granted Anthony Richardson, the team that used the fourth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on the quarterback, permission to explore a trade. His agent, Deiric Jackson, confirmed the latest development in the 23-year-old’s tumultuous career to ESPN on Thursday.
Veteran quarterback Daniel Jones beat out Richardson in a preseason competition for the starting job. Jones made the most of another opportunity as an NFL starter, helping the Colts win eight of their first 10 games of the 2025 regular season.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson heads off the field after an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2024 in Denver, Colorado. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
However, his season was ultimately derailed by an Achilles injury. The setback came two years after he tore an ACL with the New York Giants. The Colts appear ready to move forward with Jones, clouding Richardson’s future in Indianapolis.
Jones is set to become a free agent in March, meaning the Colts must either use the franchise tag or sign him to a new deal. Richardson has started just 15 games in three seasons with the Colts, his tenure largely shaped by injuries.
A shoulder surgery limited Richardson to four games during his rookie campaign, while a series of setbacks cost him four games in 2024.
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) looks for an open receiver during the game against the Houston Texans at NRG Stadium. (Troy Taormina/Imagn Images)
Richardson suffered what was described as a “freak pregame incident” during warmups last season, landing him on injured reserve after attempting just two passes in two games in 2025. He has thrown 11 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in his NFL career.
Colts general manager Chris Ballard said Tuesday that the vision problems stemming from Richardson’s orbital fracture last October are “trending in the right direction.” He added that Richardson has been “cleared to play.”
Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson (5) celebrates his touchdown against the New York Jets during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Brad Penner/Imagn Images)
Riley Leonard, a sixth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is expected to return to the Colts next season.
When asked about Richardson’s standing with the Colts moving ahead, Ballard replied, “I still believe in Anthony.”
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William Hudson, a 14-year-old freshman golfer, shot 71 on Monday at Western Hills Country Club in Chino Hills to win the Servite Invitational.
“It was very important to me and my school,” Hudson said.
Some think it’s the first time a St. John Bosco student won an invitational title.
Hudson is a straight-A student who picked up his first golf club when he was 3. He has a daily routine involving practicing at 6 a.m. before heading to school. He’s also enrolled in a school entrepreneur program that involves taking classes at a junior college that will qualify for college credits.
“They are long days, but I get through it,” Hudson said.
He comes from a family that enjoys golf. His great-grandfather played until his death at 98 last year.
“I love how it can take me to interesting places and meet interesting people,” Hudson said. “I can play for the rest of my life. It’s a lifelong sport.”
It’s looking like another strong year for golfers in Southern California, with several individual champions returning, including Jaden Soong of St. Francis and Grant Leary of Crespi.
Now Hudson has thrust himself into the conversation.
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
Sports
Dashcam video shows former WWE executive Vince McMahon rear-ending vehicle on Connecticut highway
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Police have released new video showing former WWE Chairman Vince McMahon speeding before crashing his 2024 Bentley Continental GT into another luxury car on a Connecticut highway last summer.
McMahon appeared to be followed by a state trooper in Westport moments ahead of the eventual collision. McMahon’s vehicle reached speeds of more than 100 mph, state police said.
A trooper’s dashcam video showed McMahon accelerating and then braking too late to avoid rear-ending a BMW. The car McMahon was driving then swerved into a guardrail and careened back across the highway. A cloud of dirt, apparently mixed with vehicle debris, was visible in the immediate area of the crash.
WWE owner Vince McMahon enters the arena during WrestleMania at AT&T Stadium on Apr 3, 2022 in Arlington, Texas. (Joe Camporeale/USA Today Sports)
“Why were you driving all over 100 mph?” a state trooper asked McMahon after catching up to the wrecked Bentley.
“I got my granddaughter’s birthday,” McMahon replied, explaining he was on his way to see her. The encounter was recorded on police bodycam video.
No serious injuries were reported in the July 24 crash, which happened the same day former professional wrestler Hulk Hogan died of a heart attack in Florida.
In an image taken from Connecticut State Police police bodycam video, Vince McMahon is questioned in his car after an accident on July 24, 2025, in Westport, Connecticut. (Connecticut State Police via The Associated Press)
Aside from the damage to the rear of the BMW, another vehicle driving on the opposite side of the parkway was struck by flying debris. The driver of that third car happened to be wearing a WWE shirt, police video suggested.
McMahon was cited for reckless driving and following too closely. In October, a state judge allowed him to enter a pretrial probation program that could erase the charges if he completes it successfully.
He was also ordered to make a $1,000 charitable contribution. His attorney, Mark Sherman, called the crash simply an “accident.”
“Not every car accident is a crime,” Sherman said. “Vince’s primary concern during this case was for the other drivers and is appreciative that the court saw this more of an accident than a crime that needed to be prosecuted.”
Vince McMahon attends a press conference to announce that WWE Wrestlemania 29 will be held at MetLife Stadium in 2013 at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 16, 2012 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Michael N. Todaro/Getty Images)
State police said a trooper was trying to catch up to McMahon on the parkway and clock his speed before pulling him over. They said the incident was not a pursuit, which happens when police chase someone trying to flee officers. They also said it did not appear McMahon was trying to escape.
“I’m trying to catch up to you, and you keep taking off,” State Police Det. Maxwell Robins said in the video.
“No, no no. I’m not trying to outrun you,” McMahon clarified.
An accident information summary provided to the media shortly after the crash did not mention that a trooper was following McMahon.
The trooper’s bodycam video also shows him asking McMahon whether he was looking at his phone when the crash happened. McMahon said he was not and added he hadn’t driven his car in a long time.
After Robins tells McMahon that his car is fast, McMahon replies, “Yeah, too (expletive) fast.”
Fox News Digital submitted a public records request to obtain the police video, which was first acquired by The Sun.
McMahon stepped down as WWE’s CEO in 2022 amid a company investigation into sexual misconduct allegations. He also resigned as executive chairman of the board of directors of TKO Group Holdings, the parent company of WWE, in 2024, a day after a former WWE employee filed a sexual abuse lawsuit against him. McMahon has denied the allegations. The lawsuit remains pending.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
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