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Gavin Stone is still working his way back from right shoulder surgery and remains limited in his recovery, per Dodger Blue. The Dodgers had counted on Stone as part of their pitching depth heading into 2026 after he was deemed fully healthy going into Spring Training, but his return to game action has not materialized on the timeline the team initially hoped for.

Stone underwent right shoulder surgery on Oct. 9, 2024, and missed the entire 2025 season while rehabbing. Before the injury, he had established himself as a legitimate piece of the Dodgers’ rotation. In 2024, Stone made 24 starts and posted a 3.53 ERA across 130.1 innings, emerging as one of the more reliable arms in a pitching staff that needed internal options to step up. He leaned heavily on his sinker and sweeper, generating ground balls at a strong clip and showing the kind of pitch mix that plays in October. For a guy who rocketed through the minors and grabbed a rotation spot in his mid-twenties, the shoulder surgery was a cruel interruption to what had been a steep upward trajectory.

The fact that Stone was cleared going into Spring Training suggested the Dodgers expected him back in the fold sooner rather than later. That he’s still limited now, in early June, is a legitimate concern. Shoulder surgeries for pitchers are notoriously unpredictable — the strength can come back before the feel does, or vice versa — and there’s no indication from this report that Stone is close to a rehab assignment or minor league games. This isn’t a situation where we should panic, but it’s one I’m watching closely.

For the Dodgers, this puts even more weight on the arms currently holding down rotation spots and the depth pieces being groomed behind them. We’ve already seen the organization working to build up guys like Edgardo Henriquez and leaning on prospects throughout the system. The expected return of Stone was supposed to give the staff a mid-season boost — a starter with postseason experience slotting back into a contending team’s rotation. That boost is delayed, and right now there’s no firm date to circle on the calendar.

The bigger picture here is that pitching depth is never as deep as you think it is in May and June. The Dodgers front office knows this better than anyone, and Stone’s slow recovery only reinforces the need to keep developing internal options while staying aggressive on the trade market. If Stone can get back by the second half, great — he’d be a meaningful addition. But planning around that would be a mistake given where things stand today.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: June 3, 2026 3:23 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers