Brusdar Graterol starts rehab, pitches first game in 549 days

After starting the season on the injured list, Graterol has been throwing and working his way back at Camelback Ranch. But now he finally has a game under his belt for the first time in 19 months.

When healthy, Graterol has been one of the Dodgers’ best and most-trusted relievers since joining the team in 2020. Graterol has a career 2.78 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 188 games and 190 2/3 innings, with 148 strikeouts and 33 unintentional walks, plus a 1.85 ERA and 2.86 FIP in 25 postseason games and 24 1/3 innings. But he has been injured for nearly all of the last two-plus years

Graterol was also limited to only 10 games in the 2024 regular season and postseason combined, missing time with shoulder inflammation and a hamstring strain that year.

The Dodgers avoided salary arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $2.8 million deal in January with Graterol, who will be a free agent after this season.

This is essentially spring training for Graterol, so expect a methodical build up. Brock Stewart is about to complete his third week of minor league rehab games after having his own shoulder surgery last September, before likely returning to the Dodgers in the coming week. One would imagine Graterol will need at least that long to build back up.

The first step on that journey is now in the books.