Brusdar Graterol suffered another injury that could end up costing him the entirety of his 2026 season before it even fully began.
Graterol had been rehabbing his right shoulder after undergoing surgery in Nov. 2024. He endured multiple setbacks, but began a rehab assignment at the start of May.
The right-hander was forced to pause his rehab assignment after suffering a back injury in the middle of May. The Los Angeles Dodgers and Graterol exhausted all options on how to proceed, but the 27-year-old ultimately underwent back surgery.
Graterol first posted about the surgery on his Instagram, and according to Jack Harris of the California Post, the reliever now faces another long recovery process that could end his season:
The Dodgers reliever underwent surgery for a recent back injury he suffered while on a minor-league rehab assignment earlier this month, multiple sources confirmed to The California Post after Graterol posted about the operation on Instagram.
It leaves Graterol facing another long-term recovery process, putting his chances of returning this season in jeopardy, sources said.
After suffering the injury, Graterol tweeted, “Baseball is not easy. But it’s no reason to give up,” as he vowed to continue working toward his return.
On Instagram to share news of the surgery, he wrote, “I fell again, but I won’t stay down here. I will rise. My goal isn’t over — it’s just beginning.”
Graterol is now expected to miss at least multiple months before he’s able to return.
While Graterol’s exact timeline wasn’t immediately clear, sources indicated it’s likely he will require a months-long recovery process.
There are four more months of the season remaining before the playoffs begin, so Graterol will need to make a fairly quick recovery to be able to return.
Once he is even cleared to pitch again, Graterol will need to start another build-up process with his arm and a rehab assignment that will likely last the full 30 days once that starts.
The build-up and rehab assignment alone could take around six to eight weeks, cutting his recovery time even shorter. Any setback to either his back or shoulder would more than likely be the end of his season — and potentially his Dodgers career.
Graterol is set to become a free agent following the 2026 season.
Brusdar Graterol’s limited pitching
Since the start of the 2024 season, Graterol has pitched in just 7.1 regular season innings before he started dealing with the shoulder issue. He ended up throwing 2.1 more innings in the postseason when the Dodgers added him to their World Series roster.
Graterol helped the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees, but underwent surgery that offseason. He was expected to be a full participant in Spring Training this year, but his arm kept him from building up.
Before the back injury, Graterol allowed three runs on four hits and three walks in 3.1 innings pitched while on his rehab assignment.
Graterol owns a 10-8 record with a 2.69 ERA, 3.19 FIP and 1.03 WHIP over 181 innings pitched in 178 games with the Dodgers. His best year came in 2023, when he posted a 1.20 ERA across 67.1 innings.
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