Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal was one of 10 players who began the 2016 season on 15-day disabled list, as he’d yet to recover from forearm soreness.
At the end of last season Grandal underwent arthroscopic surgery on the AC joint in his left shoulder. He was diagnosed with inflammation in the non-throwing shoulder last September, and adjusted his batting stance as a means to alleviate some of the pain.
As expected, Grandal made a full recovery in time to participate in Spring Training, reporting with his fellow catchers. However, the 27 year old was slowed by lingering forearm soreness as camp progressed.
The nagging issue forced Grandal to miss time in March, as he went one week between playing in Cactus League games. Upon returning March 16, he managed to appear in four games before again dealing with the soreness.
Despite being activated from the DL for the Dodgers home opener on Tuesday, he was not in the starting lineup. He came in to pinch hit in the ninth inning that afternoon, then started the following day. Up until Sunday’s game, Grandal had yet to appear in the lineup on back-to-back days. “There are limitations,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said on Saturday. “As far as playing him consecutive days, I feel comfortable with that.”
Grandal did catch in consecutive games while on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. However, didn’t catch all nine innings in either of those contests. Roberts acknowledged easing Grandal back into lineup on a regular basis is made easier with A.J. Ellis’ presence.
“I can’t run [Grnadal] out there for six or seven straight days right now. At some point, that would be the hope,” Roberts said. “I think right now, having A.J. is a luxury, so we can ease Yasi in a little bit.” Roberts added a setback with any injury is always a possibility, which is playing a factor in the Dodgers’ handling of Grandal.
Grandal is 2-for-7 on the season, with both hits coming on Saturday when he went 2-for-3 with a walk, breaking up Johnny Cueto’s perfect game in the process.
