Ryan Brasier was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right calf strain, retroactive to April 28, leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers without one of their high-leverage relievers.
To replace him on the roster, the Dodgers activated Gus Varland, who was on their taxi squad in case they needed pitching reinforcements following their bullpen game.
Brasier suffered his calf strain while going through pregame warmups, and it will seemingly keep him out for an extended period of time, which is an unfortunate scenario.
Brasier has not been off to the best start this season, but he seemed to be settling in recently with consecutive scoreless innings, and he felt he was getting on track as well, he said via Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
“I felt like I was getting to a spot where I was feeling really good, so it’s obviously frustrating,” said Brasier, whose 4.63 ERA belied his importance to the bullpen.
Brasier has dealt with a calf injury before, and it was similar to the current one he’s dealing with. That injury took a while to recover, and this one seems no different:
He compared this right calf strain to one he suffered in his left calf in 2021. That injury, he said, took close to two months to heal.
“He’s done his other one before, so it’s gonna be a while,” Roberts said. “It’s gonna be a slow process for him.”
Brasier appeared in 12 games for the Dodgers, striking out 12 batters in 11.2 innings with a 4.63 ERA. He has allowed runs in four of his appearances, including three on April 12.
Now in his second season with the Dodgers, Brasier has gone a combined 2-0 with a 1.61 ERA in 51 games. He signed a two-year, $9 million contract with the Dodgers on Feb. 8, 2024.
The Texas native has been in the Majors parts of eight seasons with the Los Angeles Angels (2013), Boston Red Sox (2018-2023) and Dodgers (2023-24), going a combined 9-8 with a 3.91 ERA and 10 saves.
Evan Phillips joins Ryan Brasier on IL
The Dodgers added Blake Treinen back to their bullpen, but it didn’t come without a loss as he replaced Evan Phillips, who went on the IL.
On the season, he was 8-for-8 in save chances with a 0.66 ERA.
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