The Los Angeles Dodgers activated Brock Stewart from the 15-day injured list and optioned Jake Eder to Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Wednesday’s game against the Houston Astros.
Eder was added to the Dodgers roster April 20 as the corresponding move to Edwin Díaz landing on the IL. That was followed by Díaz undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his right elbow that in turn has him out until some point in the second half of the season.
Eder made four appearances, picked up a win and allowed one run across four innings. The left-hander joined the Dodgers organization via trade with the Washington Nationals on April 1. He was acquired by L.A. in exchange for cash considerations.
Thus far with Oklahoma City, Eder has pitched to a 3.38 ERA and 1.50 WHIP across three appearances.
Brock Stewart returns
Stewart is in the Dodgers bullpen for the first time this season after missing the start of the year due to his ongoing recovery from last year’s right shoulder surgery.
Stewart began a rehab assignment with Single-A Ontario on April 14 and concluded it with the Comets on May 3. He’d been with the Dodgers in Houston since the start of the series.
While on his rehab assignment, the right-hander pitched 6.1 scoreless innings and struck out 13 batters over eight appearances. That stretch included pitching on back-to-back days from April 29-30, which the Dodgers view as an important checkpoint for a reliever looking to return.
Manager Dave Roberts had also indicated the team wanted to have Stewart pitch in multiple innings of the same game while on his rehab assignment, but that never came to be.
Although the Dodgers bullpen has fared reasonably well since losing Díaz, Stewart figures to provide a boost nevertheless. He has proven capable of pitching in high-leverage situations, and thus gives Roberts an additional option in such situations.
For Stewart, he’s looking to make more contributions after pitching in just four games upon being acquired from the Minnesota Twins at the trade deadline in 2025.
There was initial hope he would be available for the postseason but Stewart continued to be saddled by right shoulder trouble and ultimately a decision was made late in the year for him to undergo surgery.
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