Brock Stewart To Begin Rehab Assignment Soon

The Los Angeles Dodgers placed Brock Stewart on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder discomfort on July 31, with Cole Irvin joining the active roster as the corresponding move.

Stewart had only been active for a little over a month prior to this most recent injury. He was effective during the relatively short amount of time he was on the mound, with scoreless outings in nine of his 12 appearances since recovering from a bone spur in his left foot.

Overall, he has posted a 2.45 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 25.5% strikeout rate across 14.2 innings while working in a high-leverage role.

The right-hander successfully threw live batting practice on Thursday and is nearly ready to be sent out on assignment. From there, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts predicted it would not be long before the right-hander returned to the active roster.

“Came out of it well,” Roberts said of the live. “I think the next thing is he’ll go out (on rehab assignment) for an outing, maybe two, and then join us.”

This is Stewart’s third time on the injured list this season. He previously began the season recovering from offseason right shoulder surgery before experiencing the aforementioned left foot injury.

The right-hander told Kirsten Watson of SportsNet LA that his most recent rehab has been much more streamlined than the previous two.

“It felt good. This time around, it hasn’t been too long since I was active, so felt normal,” Stewart said. “Felt good out there. Physically, the ball was coming out good. So just see how we feel tomorrow and one day at a time.”

It took a little more than a week before Stewart was prepared to throw his first bullpen. Really honing in on soft tissue work with the Dodgers training staff early on made a significant difference in his eyes.

“We gave it, like, three days of no-throw and really hammered away at the tissue work,” he began. “Basically, everything around my shoulder, making sure there’s no knots, no rocks in my shoulder anywhere. Just making sure the tissue is laying down correctly and activating correctly.

“I think that’s what led to the tendinitis that I had. Things were just really bound up. So to kind of let things calm down and get the trainers’ hands on me was huge.

“After a couple days of no-throw, and five or six days of a throwing progression before my first bullpen. Throwing feels good. I’m happy with how it feels now. Like I said, one day at a time. Just continuing to work. Whether I’m activated in a few days or a few weeks, it’s not going to change how I approach each day.”

Stewart would be a welcome addition to the relief corps, strengthening the unit overall while providing another high-leverage option.

Jonathan Hernández added to Dodgers roster as stopgap

The Dodgers added Jonathan Hernández to their roster and optioned Landon Knack ahead of their series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Hernández was designated for assignment on Monday, but rejoined the Dodgers after clearing waivers.

The 30-year-old last tossed two scoreless innings on Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. He has appeared in 15 games with the Dodgers, he has a 6.45 ERA in 22.1 innings with 18 strikeouts and a 1.43 WHIP.

Hernández will likely be replaced by Stewart once he is activated from the 15-day IL.

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