Unseating A.J. Ellis as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting catcher last season, Yasmani Grandal put together a terrific first half to earn his first trip to the All-Star Game. He hit .282/.401/.526 with 14 home runs, 36 RBIs, a .399 wOBA and 159 wRC+ over 69 games (61 starts).
At the All-Star break Grandal led all catchers in on-base percentage, on-base plus slugging percentage (.927), and was second in home runs. However, he was slowed in the second half by a nagging left shoulder injury that required offseason surgery.
Grandal was hampered by lingering forearm soreness this spring and began the 2016 season on the disabled list. He’s yet to replicate the same first-half success, and is again less than 100 percent.
When asked if his catcher was healthy, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday that Grandal has been limited by a hand injury. “I’ve been making strides from a month ago to maybe the last week,” Grandal, who is also dealing with a foot issue, said after Sunday’s victory.
“I’ve been starting to feel a little better in terms of my body coming together.” He was removed in the 10th inning on May 21 with a right ankle contusion that was a result of a foul ball.
Grandal is still feeling the effects of that play and taking two foul balls off his left hand in back-to-back series (Tampa Bay and Toronto). “If I swing and roll over [foot] still hurts,” he said. “But, the hand and foot are getting better. I think it’s just a matter of time.”
The majority of improvement has come recently, Grandal explained. “I feel like the in the past week we’ve made a lot of strides as to how to treat [my wrist] and get ready for the game. So far, so good. Hopefully we can keep on going. We’re taking a lot of precautions as to what to put on there to get the swelling out. It’s a 24-hour treatment.”
Grandal hit a three-run home run in Sunday’s win over the Atlanta Braves. He’s batting .192/.305/.375 with seven doubles, five home runs and 19 RBIs over 40 games (33 starts) this season.
Although the Colorado Rockies are starting right-hander Tyler Chatwood, Ellis is behind the plate to catch Mike Bolsinger in Monday’s three-game series opener.
