The Los Angeles Dodgers envisioned Brusdar Graterol playing a significant role for the team in 2024, but it hasn’t shaped out that way in the slightest.
It has been an arduous journey for Graterol this year, with his troubles beginning long before the first pitch of the season was thrown by Tyler Glasnow in Seoul, South Korea.
Early in Spring Training, Graterol began dealing with right shoulder inflammation that cuased him to miss all of Cactus League play, the Seoul Series, and eventually worsened to the point of being transferred to the 60-day IL in April.
His rehab was quite a battle as it was filled with many setbacks and periods of inactivity. It took a lot of perseverance and hard work, but Graterol overcame all of the obstacles set in his path and returned to the mound for the Dodgers on Aug. 6 against the Philadelphia Phillies.
However, this success did not come without cost as the erratic nature of his rehab took a toll on him mentally, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Frustrating,” Graterol said. “Frustrating with all the arm injuries, with all the things that have been going on with my arm and trying to control my head through all that process. Trying to come back, shut down, come back. That’s just been mentally draining. It’s been mentally tough. I’ve tried to stay positive, keep my mental stability in a positive direction, keep moving forward even though it’s been really frustrating this season.”
His triumph did not last very long as his first outing of the 2024 season only lasted eight pitches before it was cut short. Graterol suffered a hamstring injury that forced him out of the game against the Phillies that once again puts his season in jeopardy.
News that Graterol’s hamstring strain turned out to be less severe than the Dodgers feared leaves the door open for him to possibly return this season, but he will have another fight on his hands to get to that point.
Brusdar Graterol’s injury history
Before being fully healthy for his best season with the Dodgers last season, Graterol struggled with injury early on in his tenure with the team. He had two minor stints on the 10-day IL during the 2021 season.
Graterol also experienced separate instances of right shoulder inflammation and right elbow inflammation during the 2022 season.
It is something to monitor going forward and worth keeping in mind with just two more years of team control past this season.
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