Dodgers battle MLB’s brutal injury toll as historic World Series three-peat chase begins

For most of the 2026 season, the Los Angeles Dodgers have had to navigate their roster like a stout ship dashing through a storm. 

Shoulders. Elbows. Backs. Necks. Knees. Hands. Biceps. Blisters. And now, with October quickly approaching, Blake Snell’s groin. 

In what is turning out to be an annual occurrence, the Dodgers have spent much of their pursuit of history trying to outrun the injured list, and the numbers show just how bruised and battered baseball’s powerhouse has been. 

According to RotoWire’s latest MLB injury severity rankings, the Dodgers currently sit 11th among all 30 teams with a 75-point score, including 11 players on the 60-day injured list and six on the 10- or 15-day IL. RotoWire’s model assigns greater weight to long-term absences, giving five points for every 60-day IL placement and three for shorter 10- or 15-day stays.

Ironically, this is the first time the Dodgers have fallen out of the top 10 in the rankings this season. At the end of August they were 8th, and have consistently been in the top 10 throughout the year. Maybe, their slip to 11th is coming at the perfect time. 

The Dodgers have already secured their 14th consecutive postseason appearance and clinched the NL West for the 13th time in 14 seasons. Now comes their attempt to become the first National League franchise to win three consecutive World Series championships.

That attempt will come with some of their biggest stars fighting through injuries. 

Superstar Shohei Ohtani is still on the 15-day IL with lingering left knee and right biceps issues, but Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman recently told the California Post that Ohtani is “progressing well,” and he expects him to return before the end of the regular season. 

All-Star closer Edwin Diaz has been battling several injuries throughout the season but was activated on Friday after being sidelined since Aug. 18 with neck inflammation. 

All-Star center fielder Andy Pages remains on the IL with a fractured left hand, but 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.

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