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The Dodgers may be catching a break with Will Klein, who could potentially avoid surgery for loose bodies in his elbow, per Dodger Blue staff. Klein’s situation has been one of several injury concerns weighing on a pitching staff that’s been stretched thin for much of the 2026 season, and any path back that doesn’t involve going under the knife is welcome news.

Klein came into 2026 as a hard-throwing reliever with serious swing-and-miss stuff. The right-hander’s fastball sits in the upper 90s and he pairs it with a sharp breaking ball that makes him a legitimate weapon out of the bullpen when healthy. Loose bodies in the elbow are tricky — they can be a minor nuisance or a significant impediment depending on severity and location. The fact that surgery might not be necessary suggests Klein’s situation falls on the more manageable end of that spectrum, but this is still something to monitor closely. Avoiding surgery would dramatically shorten his timeline back to the mound compared to the weeks (or months) of recovery that a procedure would require.

The Dodgers’ bullpen has been asked to shoulder an enormous workload this season. Between the starting rotation injuries and the general wear of a long season, every reliever matters — and Klein’s power arm is the kind of piece you want available down the stretch. Los Angeles is in the thick of a postseason push, and the margin between having enough arms and being dangerously thin is razor-slim right now.

This also fits into the broader picture of the Dodgers’ injury situation trending in a cautiously positive direction. Blake Snell is back and already looked sharp in his return. Will Smith and Tyler Glasnow have their own return timelines coming into focus toward late August or early September. Dalton Rushing, as we covered earlier, also believes he can avoid surgery on his UCL. None of this is guaranteed — bodies are unpredictable — but the trajectory is encouraging.

I’ll be watching Klein’s situation carefully over the next week or two. “Possibly avoiding surgery” is not the same as “back on a mound throwing,” and there’s real distance between those two things. But if Klein can rehab his way through this without a procedure, the Dodgers get a legitimate late-inning arm back at a time when they need every one they can get. That matters a lot more than it might look on paper — bullpen depth in September and October is the kind of thing that separates teams that win and teams that go home early.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: August 12, 2026 1:13 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers