Dodgers News: Grandal To Start Season on DL

Good news did not come in today for the Los Angeles Dodgers, and apparently, according to manager Dave Roberts, catcher Yasmani Grandal will now begin the 2016 season on the disabled list. There was some hope that Grandal would be able to give it a go on Tuesday night in San Diego, but that will not be the case as far as he is concerned.

This is the latest in a long line of injuries for Grandal, and this forearm one will keep him out of action until at least the Dodgers’ home opener on April 12th. The hope is that Grandal can return then and give it a full go for the rest of the season without any other major injury taking place. We shall see, though.

From Bill Plunkett, beat writer for the Orange County Register:

Dave Roberts said Yasmani Grandal played in AZ today "but I think right now we're looking for him to be ready for home opener" on April 12

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) April 2, 2016

As you can see, manager Dave Roberts hopes that the team has Grandal back in time for the home opener, but that’s getting ahead of ourselves in a manner of speaking. Grandal is a big part of the possible success for the Dodgers this season, so having him out there will be a priority for the long-term.

Prior to a shoulder injury that hampered him over the final two months of last season, Grandal hit .295 with a .400 on-base percentage and .513 slugging percentage in 311 plate appearances. He was an All-Star, and then the shoulder injury happened. Hopefully this new injury doesn’t last for a while.