Dodgers add wild card catcher as corresponding move for latest Tyler Glasnow blow

Just a few weeks after ending the Austin Barnes era and raising the profile of their backup catcher innings by promoting top prospect Dalton Rushing, the Dodgers have decided to add another catching wild card to their roster mix in Chuckie Robinson.

Robinson, still just 30 years old, started this season with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees in the Angels' system, and hit .272 with a single homer in the mountain air. He's got two big-league cameos under his belt: in 2022 with the Reds (two home runs) and 2024 with the record-setting-in-the-bad-way White Sox, where he hit .129 in 26 games.

The Dodgers knew what they were doing when they let Barnes float, but clearly remained uncomfortable with their experienced big-league depth in the aftermath. Objectively, we're not sure if Robinson is the kind of steady rock wall that will change that calculus. What does he do that Hunter Feduccia doesn't?

Robinson's addition was a head-scratcher. It also got overshadowed by the corresponding move: a confirmation of Tyler Glasnow's still-slow return timeline. Glasnow was placed on the 60-Day Injured List in order to clear a 40-man spot for Robinson.

Dodgers claim Chuckie Robinson off waivers and move Tyler Glasnow to 60-Day Injured List, cementing his long-term absence

The last time we heard about Glasnow in any capacity, he was playing catch over the weekend of May 11, attempting to stretch out his troublesome shoulder. Shoulders are as finicky as it gets for pitchers, and any reasonable Dodgers fan probably knew from the jump that Glasnow would miss at least a 60-day chunk when he went down. Saturday's news is no surprise. It is, however, a stark reminder of what type of pitcher the Dodgers opted to hitch their wagon to when they added Glasnow and Blake Snell the last two winters.

Los Angeles can survive the regular season without their full complement of aces. In order to make it through October, though, they'll at least need a Jack Flaherty type to act as Robin to Yoshinobu Yamamoto's Batman. It's a wild place for them to be entering June, given all the collecting they did this offseason.