GLENDALE, Ariz. — Another spring, another warning siren in Chavez Ravine. The Los Angeles Dodgers rotation — once projected as the most intimidating collection of arms in baseball — has taken yet another hit after what manager Dave Roberts bluntly described as a “setback” for one of the organization’s most promising young pitchers.

Right-hander Gavin Stone, who has not thrown a big-league pitch since August 2024, is once again sidelined after renewed discomfort in his surgically repaired shoulder. The 27-year-old, who missed the entire 2025 campaign following labrum and rotator cuff surgery, has now been “paused” from throwing altogether. His availability for Opening Day on March 26 is suddenly in serious doubt.

“Given everything he’s gone through with the shoulder, we wanted to make sure we push pause,” Roberts told reporters, including Jack Harris of the California Post. “I don’t know when he’s gonna start throwing again. But it is a setback, unfortunately.”

The word “unfortunately” hung heavy in the desert air. Inside the Dodgers’ complex, optimism had quietly been building around Stone. After a rocky debut season in 2023, he emerged in 2024 as a stabilizing presence in a rotation constantly navigating turbulence. Across 25 starts that year, he posted a 3.53 ERA and showed a maturity that belied his experience, leaning heavily on a devastating changeup that produced a 37.2% whiff rate and graded as one of the most effective off-speed pitches in the National League.

His spring debut last week only fueled belief. Stone tossed a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Cleveland Guardians on Feb. 24, looking crisp, composed, and — perhaps most importantly — healthy. But the shoulder soreness that followed quickly shifted the tone from hopeful to cautious. What initially seemed like routine early-camp tightness has now escalated into a full stop.

And for a team already walking a tightrope with its starting staff, this latest development lands like a gut punch.

The Dodgers’ rotation has been shadowed by health concerns all offseason. Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell has been slow-playing his buildup due to shoulder discomfort of his own and is not expected to be fully ramped up by Opening Day. Bobby Miller has yet to throw off a mound this spring while working through an arm issue, effectively eliminating any chance of early-season contributions.

This is not new territory for Los Angeles. Even during their march to a second consecutive World Series title, durability was a daily storyline. Tyler Glasnow missed significant time last season with shoulder inflammation. Shohei Ohtani, recovering from labrum surgery, didn’t return to the mound until June and was initially limited to abbreviated outings. High-profile signing Roki Sasaki battled a shoulder impingement that ultimately forced a temporary shift to the bullpen.

Time and again, the Dodgers pieced it together. Time and again, depth masked vulnerability. But depth, too, has limits.

Stone was not just competing for a back-end role. He was pushing to solidify himself as a legitimate mid-rotation anchor — a cost-controlled arm capable of soaking up innings while the club carefully manages workloads elsewhere. His profile was particularly valuable in a staff built around power arms with recent injury histories. His changeup-heavy approach provided contrast. His command provided efficiency.

Now, the timeline is murky. Roberts’ admission that he doesn’t know when Stone will resume throwing suggests more than precaution. Labrum and rotator cuff recoveries are notoriously unpredictable. The fact that discomfort resurfaced after both a start and a bullpen session raises unavoidable questions about durability and long-term outlook.

For a franchise with championship expectations etched into every move, uncertainty is uncomfortable. The Dodgers do not build rosters to tread water in April. They build them to dominate from wire to wire. But as Opening Day approaches, the once-overflowing rotation board has visible cracks.

Internally, the organization will emphasize patience. They will point to young arms in the system and to the strategic flexibility that has defined the Roberts era. They will remind anyone listening that October — not March — is the true measuring stick.

Still, there is no disguising the reality: another arm is down. Another promising storyline is on hold. And another season begins with health as the central variable.

For Gavin Stone, the comeback will have to wait. For the Dodgers, the margin for error just shrank again. And in a division where every stumble is magnified, the question now looms larger than ever: how many more setbacks can a championship rotation absorb before the cracks become fractures?