The Dodgers announced this evening that right-hander Gavin Stone underwent surgery on his right shoulder on October 9. The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache and figures to cause Stone to miss the entire 2025 season.
Stone, 26 next week, made his big league debut with the Dodgers last year to lackluster results but enjoyed a breakout campaign this season upon being forced into the rotation by a number of pitching injuries. Stone wound up being one of the club’s most reliable pitchers for most of the year as key players like Bobby Miller, Walker Buehler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Tyler Glasnow all fell by the wayside throughout significant portions of the season due to injuries, ineffectiveness, or a combination thereof. During that time, Stone stepped up to post a solid 3.53 ERA (109 ERA+) with a 4.01 FIP in 140 1/3 innings of work across 25 starts, including an utterly dominant 2.73 ERA in his first 15 starts of the season.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Stone began to flag late in the season as he made it out of the fifth inning just three times after the All-Star break, pitching to a 4.12 ERA and 5.00 FIP in his final eight starts of the year before he too was placed on the IL in early September due to what at the time was termed right shoulder inflammation. The soreness persisted throughout the month of September and eventually led to him being more or less ruled out for the club’s postseason push just under a month ago. At the time, there was little indication that Stone wouldn’t be ready to go come Spring Training 2025 but that’s no longer the case as the youngster will likely have to wait until 2026 to follow up on an impressive rookie campaign.
While the news changes little for the Dodgers as they look to take on the Mets in the NLCS tomorrow in hopes of advancing to their first World Series since the shortened 2020 season, Stone’s absence is a devastating blow to the club’s 2025 starting rotation. With Shohei Ohtani expected to return to the club’s rotation early next year, it seems likely that the Dodgers will employ a six-man rotation next year as the Angels did while Ohtani was pitching for them. Ohtani, Yamamoto, and Glasnow figure to occupy three of those six slots, but the Dodgers have little in the way of certainty beyond that group.
Miller will return to the club next year but struggled to an 8.52 ERA in 13 starts this year, leaving questions regarding how willing the club would be to rely on him for a significant number of starts next year. Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May both figure to return to the mound early next year, but will be coming off lengthy absences that could make them questionable choices to pencil in for 30 starts a piece. Clayton Kershaw could return but is undecided about his future after a mostly lost season due to injury, while both Buehler and Jack Flaherty are ticketed for free agency this November.
Given the numerous questions the Dodgers face regarding their rotation depth this winter, it seems likely that bolstering their starting pitching corps will be a priority for the club this winter even as they boast a number of potentially strong options. This winter’s free agent class of starters is headlined by Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max Fried, and Flaherty. The Dodgers have shown little hesitance about shopping at the top of the free agent market, so it’s certainly feasible to imagine that caliber of name being in play for the club. Even looking beyond that group, however, L.A. could still bolster their rotation depth with mid-tier options like Nathan Eovaldi, Sean Manaea, or Luis Severino or even search for a bounce-back candidate or two as they’ve done with Tyler Anderson and Noah Syndergaard in recent years.
holecamels35
Senor Attache el armo.
BlueSkies_LA
Bummer. Shoulder surgery is always the worst.
Old York
@BlueSkies_LA
Worse things could happen. He could die. He could forget how to pitch like some in the past and lose his career. Shoulder surgery is all covered by the team and the guy just gets some paid time off.
BlueSkies_LA
Sigh. I was just talking about people posting here who don’t seem to like baseball very much, and there you are, right on cue.
Old York
@BlueSkies_LA
When did I not like baseball? Is that your projecting your opinion of baseball on me?
Old York
@Mojo37
I’d like to reply directly to you but the system says I can’t reply to your posts.
How exactly am I a jerk? What exactly did I mention?
Mojo37
Think it over, perhaps in a quiet corner.
thickiedon
It’s funny how both of y’all are right
Mojo37
York
Do you get advice on how to be a jerk or is it all on your own?
kevnames42
He went to the jerk store, but they were running out of him!
Mojo37
Kev
Hope we meet in da Bronx week after this.
johnsilver
Liked him also cpl times saw him pitch on mlbtv Bluesky. LAD have had maybe worst luck in the game with serious SP injuries last 3y. Fans of other teams whining need look no further than LA and see how decimated SP numbers can be and how they have STILL won is amazing.
Samuel
john;
Please.
It wasn’t “bad luck”. Save that for the stat geeks that need excuses when their projections fail.
‘Luck is the residue of design’
– Branch Rickey
baseballandbrews
Rich Hill on line 1
HiredGun23
Yeah…Rich Hill can take Gavin to/from his rehab appointments.
niel.marshal
Sign Tomoyuki Sugano and get Roki Sasaki. I believe Sugano will be interested with 2/20-25M. And Sasaki i believe wants to jump now. He’s preety piss off last year when his team (Chiba Lotte) didnt let him going to the Majors
Rsox
Stone was probably their best starter this season so that’s a blow for next year already.
Expect Glasnow/Gonsolin/May to play musical chairs with the IL next season and you will need a 6 man rotation for Ohtani with only Yamamoto guaranteed a spot
GO1962
Out for a season with surgery. Now that qualifies Stone as a true Dodger.
Mojo37
So will his ring.
ShootyBabbit
pitching ability is toast, but he has a whole life ahead of him
UncleJesse
Dodgers will just throw money at the problem and buy another high priced free agent this off-season to replace him.
UncleJesse
I’m sure Dodgers closet fan “spliffTONE” wants his team to bring Burnes to LA.
Mojo37
Sure but it’s a sad day for Stone after such a promising season.
UncleJesse
You’re a good dude, Mojo. My love of the Giants makes it hard for me to compliment your squad.
Mojo37
Thanks Jesse. We all love who we love and we can’t control that. At least you’re a lover not a hater like so many here. I’m no fan of the Giants but I don’t wish them ill. It’s always may the best team win.
Mojo37
Vesia is likely to miss the Mets series with an intracostal injury.
Mojo37
*intercostal
Mojo37
Now Gonsolin appears to be in the mix. It’s musical hurlers.