Brusdar Graterol returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers earlier this month after recovering from a Grade 1 right hamstring strain that he sustained in his 2024 debut against the Philadelphia Phillies on Aug. 6.
The right-hander has been lights out since rejoining the Dodgers bullpen, throwing six scoreless innings with seven strikeouts against one walk.
Graterol most recently logged two perfect innings of relief in the Dodgers’ 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Friday. “Brusdar is going to have to be the guy that does an up-down for us, because he’s pretty efficient when he’s out there,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“He’ll be down the next couple of days, obviously, but for him to be able to do two innings for us tonight, given where we were at, if he doesn’t then I don’t know how we really cover that game and have coverage for tomorrow. That was a big two innings.”
Graterol is more than capable of throwing multiple innings in a given appearance, but he has traditionally been limited to a setup role throughout his career.
The Dodgers place a high value on relievers who can record more than three outs in a game, with Evan Phillips, Blake Treinen and Ryan Yarbrough, among others, doing so over recent years.
The Dodgers likely believe Graterol can handle the role due to his efficiency on the mound. He has allowed just three baserunners in six innings since returning to the team.
Graterol has posted a 2.84 ERA, 1.90 FIP, 0.79 WHIP and 9.9 strikeouts per nine in 6.1 innings across six appearances this season.
Brusdar Graterol tried to stay ‘positive’ amid injuries
The 2024 season has not been easy for Graterol, who didn’t make his debut until August because of right shoulder inflammation that surfaced in Spring Training.
After sustaining the right hamstring injury, Graterol said he tried to keep a positive mindset while acknowledging the frustration he felt.
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