Dodgers' Blake Treinen postseason injury update feels more like a threat than an assurance

Blake Treinen's 2026 (and maybe even his career) ended on the second-to-last day of the regular season, when he stopped warming up during a Los Angeles Dodgers game against the San Francisco Giants, reporting that his shoulder had flared up. He was moved to the IL and was set to undergo imaging.

The Dodgers proceeded into October without him, winning Game 1 of the NLDS over the Atlanta Braves by using four relievers behind Tarik Skubal. Even though Tanner Scott gave up a two-run homer, LA's pen looked a lot more trustworthy this year than it did in 2025.

They also have even more options in the event of emergency. Justin Wrobleski and Jack Dreyer were both left off the postseason roster, and there's a slew of other arms lower on the totem pole.

So it felt more than a little unnecessary when Andrew Friedman hinted that Treinen, whose shoulder soreness won't require surgery, could rejoin the team in a later series.

Treinen has a shaky postseason history, but he has been a staple of the Dodgers' roster for six years, and all of their last three World Series teams. Maybe they just want to give him his flowers before he retires, but is October really the time for that?

Dodgers not ruling out Blake Treinen for postseason despite season-ending shoulder injury

Treinen pitched to mixed effect in the regular season, throwing just 29 2/3 innings before and after a long IL stint with elbow inflammation, for a 3.64 ERA. He was shaky through September before going onto the IL for the second time, giving up three runs in 6 2/3 innings.

While it's certainly still going to be hard for Dodgers fans to trust late-inning righties Edwin Díaz or Roki Sasaki until they earn it in the postseason, LA shouldn't keep either of them, or Edgardo Henriquez and Evan Phillips, off of the NLCS roster just to be replaced by a pitcher fresh off an injury.

The Dodgers certainly appreciate what Treinen has been able to do for the club since 2020, even if his postseason performance has always been perfect. He is still capable of being one of the more effective set-up men in the game despite his age.

But this isn't the time to pay him tribute by handing him a roster spot he hasn't really earned. Let him ride off into the sunset without the risk of hurting himself, his legacy, and the Dodgers' postseason hopes.

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