LOS ANGELES — Brusdar Graterol couldn’t comprise his pleasure. After lacking 113 video games with a proper shoulder damage, Graterol was leaping up and down pregame now that he was lastly again on the lively roster and within the Dodgers’ bullpen.
In his thoughts, his days of rehab in Arizona had been over and now he was prepared to assist the Dodgers down the stretch and into the postseason.
Sadly for Graterol, his return to the mound ended after simply eight pitches as he was helped off the sphere by coach Thomas Albert and third baseman Kiké Hernández within the prime of the sixth inning of the Dodgers’ 6-2 loss to the Phillies on Tuesday night time.
The Dodgers introduced it was a proper hamstring pressure for Graterol, who left the sphere in tears. Dodgers supervisor Dave Roberts later added that it’s a Grade 3 pressure, which is essentially the most extreme. Given how late into the season the Dodgers are, that may doubtless finish Graterol’s 2024 marketing campaign.
“It’s heartbreaking,” Roberts mentioned. “Brusdar, he’s been so good for us. He’s performed a variety of issues for us. He’s pitched in a variety of massive ballgames for us, postseason video games, and he had a troublesome highway again. He spent a variety of time in Arizona and being in rehab and to return again and, third hitter he confronted, to blow out, and it was a fairly large blowout.”
Graterol’s outing began nicely, as he obtained Bryce Harper to come out to 3rd base on the third pitch he threw. Then, after giving up a one-out single to Alec Bohm, Graterol was battling towards J.T. Realmuto when he sailed a 92 mph sinker that was method up within the zone.
As quickly as Graterol launched the pitch, he hunched over in entrance of the mound in clear discomfort. He communicated instantly to Hernández that the damage was extreme. Shortly thereafter, Graterol started to tear up as he wanted help to get down the dugout steps on the way in which to the house clubhouse.
“There’s a variety of stuff that goes into coming again and getting on this subject and until you’ve performed it, you don’t actually know,” mentioned Dodgers left-hander Clayton Kershaw, who allowed one run over 4 2/3 innings. “So all of us really feel for him. He likes to pitch, he likes to be on the market, he likes to be with us. So if it is a season-ender, it’s actually exhausting clearly, however good factor for him is he’s actually younger, he’s obtained a very good arm and he’ll have the ability to bounce again good subsequent 12 months. Nevertheless it’s undoubtedly a troublesome night time.”
Dropping Graterol, who was seen on crutches within the clubhouse after the sport, is one other vital blow to the Dodgers’ bullpen, which is presently with out Blake Treinen and Ryan Brasier.
Over the past 4 seasons, Graterol has been an integral a part of the staff’s aid corps, notably in 2023, when the flamethrowing right-hander established himself as top-of-the-line relievers on the staff with a 1.20 ERA over 68 appearances.
Graterol is much more useful within the postseason, as his high-powered stuff is strictly what groups search for in October. When the Dodgers sluggish performed him after Spring Coaching as he labored again from a proper shoulder damage, they envisioned having him within the again finish of their bullpen down the stretch. Now, that doesn’t look like the case.
As a substitute, the Dodgers will activate Michael Grove earlier than Wednesday’s recreation and proceed to combine and match with the remainder of the bullpen. However there’s no denying the impression of not having Graterol out there the remainder of the way in which may have on the Dodgers.
“Proper now, he’s so emotional,” Roberts mentioned. “And as a participant, when one thing like that occurs, you understand what it entails. And it’s not good.”
