Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) waits with manager Dave Roberts (30) on the mound during a pitching change in the eighth inning against the Houston Astros at Dodger Stadium on July 6. Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Dodgers Unlikely to Get Key Reliever Back This Season in Unfortunate Update

Originally posted on Los Angeles Dodgers on SI
By J.P. Hoornstra | Last updated Sep 9, 2025 6:23 PM ET

A Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher who missed most of last season with injuries could miss all of 2025 as well.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters during his pregame availability Monday at Dodger Stadium that Brusdar Graterol is assumed to be unavailable during the regular season, but stopped short of ruling out a possible postseason return.

-After that, Stewart is hopeful that one rehab outing will be enough. He said all has felt good since his second cortisone shot.
-Per Roberts, it's "fair" to assume the Dodgers will be without Brusdar Graterol at least through the regular season. No bigger update there.
— Sonja Chen (@SonjaMChen) September 8, 2025

Graterol, 27, underwent surgery after the 2024 World Series to repair the labrum in his right shoulder. It's a major procedure with a long timetable for recovery, and Graterol was not expected to pitch this year before the All-Star break.

The right-hander has been on the injured list since the season began in March.

Although Graterol had reported to the Dodgers' Camelback Ranch complex in Arizona to begin his rehab, Roberts told reporters in August that he had not been cleared to begin a throwing program.

At the time, Roberts said there was "a small, small chance" Graterol could return sometime in September, while noting that "It is possible he doesn't come back." Now, that possibility is all but reality.

Graterol is 11-9 with a 2.69 ERA in 178 regular season games for the Dodgers from 2020-24. Last year, shoulder injuries limited him to seven regular season games. But he was able to return to pitch scoreless innings in Games 1 and 3 of the World Series before his appearance in Game 5.

Graterol faced five batters and walked three against the New York Yankees in the sixth inning of Game 5, in which the Dodgers clinched the championship.

The Dodgers would love to have Graterol back this postseason, but time is not on his side — even if there's an open seat for him in the bullpen.

Dodgers relievers have been taxed to the tune of 583.2 innings this season, the most in MLB. Their 4.19 ERA ranks 19th. Only seven teams have more blown saves.

From 2020-23, Graterol flashed a low (5.5 percent) walk rate and an elite (62.5 percent) ground-ball rate while making 171 appearances — the most among all Dodgers pitchers during that span. His 2.69 ERA (157 ERA+) was boosted by a miniscule 1.3 percent home run rate.

The Dodgers will pay Graterol $2.8 million this season. He's under club control for one more year. Arbitration-eligible players who miss the entire season due to injuries typically sign for the same amount the following year assuming they’re tendered a contract, as noted by Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors.

If Graterol can contribute positively to another Dodgers postseason run, he'll have earned a raise.