Add The California Post on Google Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Gavin Stone was the team’s workhorse two seasons ago.
In 2024, Stone led the Dodgers in starts and innings. But he missed the 2025 season while he recovered from shoulder surgery.
On Thursday, Stone made his first start in nearly two years.
The right-hander hasn’t taken the mound in a regular-season game since Aug. 31, 2024. Stone made his 2026 debut with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday.
He allowed one run in 1.2 innings. Stone allowed two hits and recorded three strikeouts against the Salt Lake Bees.
Stone joined OKC after rehabbing his injury all season, which points to a potential return for the pitcher this year. The Dodgers are cautiously optimistic about Stone’s recovery with the right-hander possibly returning to the starting rotation in September.
Stone sported a 3.53 ERA with 116 strikeouts across 140.1 innings in 2024, emerging as quite the workhorse for the Dodgers that season. He became the first Dodgers rookie pitcher to throw a complete game since Hyun Jin Ryu in 2013.
His successful rookie season was derailed by a shoulder injury, which he sustained in September 2024. Stone missed the Dodgers’ postseason and hasn’t pitched for the team since.
Now, it appears Stone is set to make his long-awaited return to the Dodgers down the stretch. While LA’s starting rotation is crowded, Stone could be a placeholder for one of the Dodgers’ stars including Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani hasn’t made a start for the Dodgers since early July and inserting Stone back into the rotation would give the two-way star more time to rest before the postseason. Additionally, if Stone doesn’t skip a beat in his return to LA, he could very well make a case to make the Dodgers’ postseason roster.
