A minor back injury prevented Tyler Glasnow from pitching in his first career All-Star Game, and now right elbow trouble could loom large for he and the Los Angeles Dodgers with respect to their World Series aspirations.

The Dodgers placed Glasnow on the 15-day injured list Aug. 16 because of elbow tendinitis. Glasnow said at the time he felt capable of continuing to pitch but understood the team wanting to err on the side of caution.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts shared an expectation of Glasnow returning once eligible to be activated. But updates in the time since have painted a more concerning picture.

“Tyler is going to play catch [Friday] and our hwope is that he feels good and can repeat that on Saturday or Sunday,” Roberts said. “The throwing program is going to start up again on Friday.”

Glasnow first played catch last weekend but didn’t respond well physically and was delayed from throwing on Tuesday.

“There is. There is,” answered Roberts when asked if some sense of urgency is required. “I haven’t looked at the outgoing plan and where that puts him on September 30th.

“It’s all contingent on how he’s feeling and the buildup, but there certainly is urgency, given he hasn’t thrown a baseball in however many days and we’re getting to the end of the season.”

Given the nature of Glasnow’s injury and just over one month remaining in the regular season, Roberts could not definitively stat his team’s ace will pitch again in 2024.

“We’re hopeful. I think there’s still a lot of variables to be certain, but I think everyone in the organization is hopeful,” Roberts said.

He also mentioned not being “sure” if Glasnow’s situation could be one where pitching through some discomfort is necessary if it wouldn’t risk further injury.