Tyler Glasnow tosses four innings in latest rehab stint

LAS VEGAS -- Since being placed on the 60-day IL on May 31, Tyler Glasnow has made positive steps forward to return to Los Angeles. 

Glasnow completed his third rehab stint on Thursday afternoon for the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate, Oklahoma City Comets, going 4 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits while also picking up eight punch-outs. The 6'8 right-hander threw 78 pitches, 51 of which were for strikes. 

This was his best rehab start to date in terms of stuff as his fastball topped out at 98 mph, his slider sat at around 90-91 mph, and his curve had some life on it, topping out at 82 mph. 

Glasnow has been on the injured list since late April with shoulder inflammation in his throwing arm and has voiced his frustrations with his recurring shoulder issues. After completing this rehab start, there is a strong possibility that Glasnow could return to the Dodgers' starting rotation. 

The Dodgers' rotation is slowly picking itself back up as the weeks progress, with reinforcements such as Shohei Ohtani, whose current role as a pitcher has been limited to a one to two-inning opener for the time being, and the unpredictable production from Ben Casparius and Justin Wrobleski have been morale boosters to this ailing rotation. Emmet Sheehan is also apart of the mix, currently residing in OKC, providing Los Angeles with yet another viable arm option. 

There is a strong possibility that this could be the last rehab start for the 31-year-old before returning to the Dodgers, as he did reach the intended target amount of pitches that was expected from manager Dave Roberts, but there is also the other side of the coin that the Dodgers could flip and that is holding off Glasnow's return until after the All-Star break, but there is still no confirmation on the future of Glasnow's pitching ventures.