Los Angeles Dodgers' Flamethrowing Reliever Won't Be Heading to Korea with Team For Opening Series
When the Los Angeles Dodgers travel to Korea for their season-opening two-game series with the San Diego Padres, one of their top relievers won't be with them.
Per Fabian Ardaya of 'The Athletic:'
Brusdar Graterol won’t be going with the Dodgers to Korea. Has only pitched once this spring and complained of hip tightness during that outing. He will resume throwing on Tuesday and is still hopeful he can be ready for domestic Opening Day.
Graterol also noted some shoulder discomfort, but downplayed its severity. Has been doing plyo work and sounded more focused on addressing his left hip tightness.
That's a big loss for Dave Roberts and his staff, but if Graterol is able to be ready for traditional Opening Day (March 28), all should be fine, but that's still a question.
The 25-year-old Venezuelan flamethrower had an excellent 2023, going 4-2 with a 1.20 ERA over 68 games. That was his best major league season by far since making his debut in 2019 with the Minnesota Twins. He posted the lowest ERA of his career and pitched in the most games of his career.
Lifetime, he's 11-9 with a 2.80 ERA in his five-year career and he should continue to be a major part of the Dodgers' bullpen as they work towards winning their first World Series since 2020. Given that they've added Shohei Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, James Paxton and Teoscar Hernandez this offseason, they should be in a position to be very competitive for that next title.
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