The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen has been without Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen so far this season, which wasn’t expected to be the case once the team began the domestic portion of their 2024 schedule.
Graterol was ruled out early for the Seoul Series because of right shoulder inflammation and left hip trouble. Meanwhile, Treinen was expected to rebound in time from a bruised lung that he sustained late in Spring Training as a result of being hit by a line-drive comebacker.
Although Treinen traveled with the Dodgers to South Korea, the team placed him on the 15-day injured list when it came time to setting their active roster for the Seoul Series.
Treinen’s extended absence has now been revealed to be due to suffering fractured ribs as well when he was hit by the line drive, according to Mike DiGiovanna and Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
It turns out reliever Blake Treinen had fractured ribs after all. Initially diagnosed with just a bruised lung from a line drive he took in the side during a March 9 exhibition game, after an X-ray and CT scan came back negative, the Dodgers reliever said he continued to feel “locked up” during the club’s season-opening trip to Korea, keeping him sidelined for the series.
When the Dodgers returned home, Treinen then had an MRI that revealed fractures to his fifth and sixth ribs, he said.
Treinen’s revelation comes two weeks after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the reliever had not suffered a setback in his recovery and was merely dealing with “residual” soreness from the bruised lung.
“Because if we would’ve known this, he wouldn’t have made the trip to Korea. So once we got there, in catch play, it just never felt better,” Roberts added.
“So I think at that point in time, the medical staff decided to slow play it and essentially start up again.”
Blake Treinen making progress
Although Treinen is still considered to be multiple weeks from coming off the injured list, he did advance to facing batters at Dodger Stadium on Sunday.
Treinen is expected to pitch in two more rounds of live batting practice this week and then start a rehab assignment.
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