Los Angeles Dodgers right-hander Brusdar Graterol is set to pitch in a live batting practice session on Saturday. Graterol is recovering from a hamstring injury, but if he continues trending in the right direction, a rehab assignment won’t be far behind.
The reliever tossed a 30-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. No lingering issues with his hamstring strain were reported after the session. If all is well, the next step for Graterol would be a minor league rehab assignment.
“I think Brusdar should be going out on assignment soon,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register . “He’s been sprinting. The bullpens have been good, velocity good. So I don’t see why we can’t send him out soon and him be a real conversation in a week to 10 days.”
Although the Dodgers’ bullpen were the unlikely heroes of the 10-9 victory over the Arizona Diamondbacks Friday night, Graterol’s high-leverage arm would be a much-needed reinforcement.
After Friday night’s victory, the bullpen is running on fumes. Several relievers that took the mound had already pitched within the last week. Following an untimely exit by starter Clayton Kershaw , the Dodgers turned to the bullpen to hold down Arizona.
Graterol could make a return to the clubhouse by early September, which would give Los Angeles another reliever to deploy from the bullpen.
“It’s great,” Roberts said . “Considering where it was after his first outing with us and now to have this conversation about early September is great. Brusdar has just been so valuable for us each year in the postseason. So to get him back, a neutral reliever (effective against right- or left-handed hitters), is going to be great.”
Before the hamstring injury, Graterol was having the best season of his career with a 4-2 record, seven saves, and a 1.20 ERA. The right-hander tied for the Dodgers lead in appearances with a total of 68.
Graterol has made 21 postseason appearances for Los Angeles. He’s posted a 1.71 ERA in the playoffs with 13 strikeouts through 21 innings.
Graterol isn’t the only pitcher who may return to the Dodgers soon. Yoshinobu Yamamoto is making progress in his rehab assignment for Triple-A Oklahoma City. He pitched two innings for the team on Wednesday. The appearance was his first time on the mound since June 15.
Yamamoto is dealing with a strained rotator cuff but retired six of the seven batters he faced for Oklahoma City. The Dodgers plan for the offseason acquisition to make another rehab start in the coming week.
The Dodgers are desperate for reinforcements, especially after the unplanned bullpen game on Friday night. The positive update regarding Graterol’s return is encouraging for Los Angeles fans.
Photo Credit: John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Have you subscribed to our YouTube Channel yet? Subscribe and hit that notification bell to stay up to date on all the latest Dodgers news, rumors, interviews, live streams, and more!
Local Los Angeles, CA
Most Popular
Comments / 0