Dodgers’ Brock Stewart Could Return From IL This Weekend, Providing Bullpen Boost

The right-hander began his rehab assignment with Single-A Ontario on April 14, and has been stellar as he started ramping back up. He made two appearances in Single-A, allowing just two baserunners across his two outings at the level, and he’s excelled with Triple-A Oklahoma City as well.

OKC Comets communications director Alex Freedman detailed that Stewart “cleared the all-important back-to-back hurdle” on Thursday.

“He’s up to nine strikeouts over 4.1 scoreless innings in his time with OKC,” Freedman said.

Baseball writer Howard Cole added that the back-to-back is “usually the final step in a reliever’s rehab.”

“He could join the Dodgers in St. Louis and be activated as soon as Saturday,” Cole wrote.

Who will the Dodgers send down to make room for Brock Stewart?

It’s unclear who the Dodgers will demote to clear a roster spot, but fans have been calling for reliever Blake Treinen to make way for Stewart, and his lackluster performance thus far in 2026 makes that very possible.

In 11 games this season, he has an ERA of 4.15, and his expected ERA of 7.31 is worse than 95% of MLB pitchers.

He’s also in the 5th percentile in expected batting average, and his barrel percentage of 18.5% is worse than 99% of all MLB pitchers.

How did Brock Stewart pitch last season?

Stewart had a fantastic year for the Minnesota Twins before he came to the Dodgers, posting a 2.38 ERA in 39 appearances. The Dodgers traded James Outman in exchange for Stewart, who came in to assist the injury-riddled bullpen.

Through his four appearances for the Dodgers, Stewart pitched 3.2 innings and struck out three batters, allowing two runs for a 4.91 ERA.

What role will Brock Stewart fill in the Dodgers’ bullpen?

As the Dodgers are without star closer Edwin Diaz for the first half of the season, they’ll need a right-handed arm to fill in during high-leverage situations. Stewart would fit excellently into this role, and will probably take reps over Will Klein in these circumstances.

While not exactly a closer, Stewart has excelled in high-leverage situations since returning to MLB in 2023, and will play a huge role in the Dodgers’ bullpen until Diaz returns from his injury sometime in the second half of the season.

Are you excited to see Brock Stewart back on the mound for the Dodgers?