Blake Treinen's Shoulder Gives Out Just in Time to Ruin the Dodgers' Postseason Bullpen Math

Just when the Los Angeles Dodgers thought their bullpen was finally healthy enough to survive October, Blake Treinen’s right arm decided it had other plans.

MLB Trade Rumors dropped the hammer on Sunday, reporting that Treinen has suffered a shoulder injury and is officially out for the entire 2026 postseason.

"MLB Trade Rumors reported: 'Blake Treinen Injures Shoulder, Out For Postseason'"

Losing a high-leverage reliever two days before the playoffs start is the baseball equivalent of your car's transmission dropping out on the highway on-ramp. You can still technically get where you are going, but it is going to be a terrifying, bumpy ride.

Treinen has been fighting his own anatomy for years. He missed almost all of 2022 with a torn capsule, underwent surgery that November, and just spent a month on the injured list this summer with shoulder fatigue. When he is right, he is a cheat code with a career 2.94 ERA and 627 strikeouts. But relying on his shoulder to hold up through a deep playoff run was always a high-wire act.

The Dodgers already wrapped up the NL West back on September 17, giving them plenty of time to set their starting rotation. But October baseball is entirely about surviving the seventh and eighth innings. Without Treinen's wipeout stuff, Los Angeles has to shuffle its late-game hierarchy. If you are looking at live betting lines in the late innings of a tight playoff game next week, the math just got a lot more complicated for the Dodgers.

The Wild Card round kicks off Tuesday, and Los Angeles will be watching from home before their Division Series starts Saturday. They have a few days to figure out who inherits Treinen's high-stress innings. As for Treinen, he is staring down another brutal offseason of rehab instead of pitching for a ring.