Dodgers News: Brusdar Graterol Set to Return This Weekend

Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol, on the shelf since July 11 with shoulder soreness, is nearing a return to Los Angeles. Graterol has been at Triple-A Oklahoma City since Friday, and he has just one more box to check off before his return.

From Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

Relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol is scheduled to pitch on back-to-back days for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday. If all goes well, that would complete his rehab assignment and Graterol would rejoin the Dodgers on Sunday.

As if that news wasn’t exciting enough, Plunkett offered an update after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had his pregame media scrum on Wednesday:

Per Dave Roberts — Brusdar Graterol is expected to pitch back-to-back today and tomorrow with OKC to complete his rehab. Would rejoin #Dodgers this weekend if all goes well.

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) August 17, 2022

So Graterol is still scheduled for one last back-to-back in Oklahoma City, but those two games will be tonight (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday), rather than Friday and Saturday. That means Graterol could be activated as soon as Saturday, in time for Dustin May’s season debut in Los Angeles.

Graterol struggled early in the season, but he had finally found a groove before his injury. In his last 15 games spanning 16 innings, Graterol allowed just nine baserunners and two runs with no walks and 14 strikeouts, a 1.13 ERA in that span that lowered his season mark from 4.81 to 3.35.

Graterol will be the first high-profile re-addition to the Dodgers bullpen, with Blake Treinen scheduled to follow in a couple weeks and Yency Almonte hopefully on a similar timeline. That big three will join Evan Phillips, Caleb Ferguson, and the newly resurgent David Price in what could be a formidable Dodgers bullpen heading into the postseason.

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