Dodgers' injury woes continue with double dose of bad news ahead of NLDS

The Los Angeles Dodgers were already banged up ahead of Game 1 of their NLDS showdown against the San Diego Padres, especially the pitching staff. Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone are already done for the year, flamethrowing reliever Brusdar Graterol was left off the Divisional Round roster due to injury and Tony Gonsolin also won't be returning as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery. There's still plenty of talent on this roster, and you won't catch anyone else around the league feeling sorry for the Dodgers after their offseason spending spree, but the losses are adding up.

And the injury bug isn't slowing down as the postseason approaches. As L.A. gets set to take on a red-hot Padres team, it got a couple more pieces of bad news regarding two of its biggest names — one of whom won't be appearing this postseason at all.

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Freddie Freeman's status in doubt ahead of NLDS Game 1

Dave Roberts and Co. seemed cautiously optimistic that Freeman would be fine for the playoffs after the All-Star first baseman rolled his ankle on the final weekend of the regular season. Now, though, they're sounding a different tune:

That certainly sounds like the Dodgers won't have Freeman for at least Game 1, which, considering how reliant this team has been on its lethal top three of the batting order, represents a huge blow. Given the sketchy state of the starting rotation, Los Angeles figured to go as far as Freeman, Mookie Betts and Shohei Ohtani can carry them. Removing one of those names will make this series all that much tougher.

Clayton Kershaw done for the postseason

And that rotation won't be getting any reinforcements either, as Kershaw's attempt to come back from a toe injury was unsuccessful. Roberts ruled Kershaw out for the entire postseason on Saturday afternoon, as the toe simply wasn't improving enough for the team to try and rush him back even for a potential NLCS or World Series appearance.

That leaves things awfully threadbare moving forward. Los Angeles' rotation projects to be Jack Flaherty, Yoshinobu Yamamoto (himself returning from a shoulder injury), Walker Buehler and rookie Landon Knack, with not a ton in the way of depth behind them. (Especially not with Bobby Miller coming apart at the seams this season.) Again, the Dodgers are not to be counted out, not with that offense and very strong bullpen and one of the smartest organizations in the sport behind them. But they were boatraced out of the NLDS last season when a spent pitching staff imploded against the D-backs, and now they have to deal with Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado and Co. Look out.