Dodgers News: Dodgers Bullpen About to Get a Bazooka-Powered Boost

Brusdar Graterol, who has been injured since mid-July, is nearing the completion of his rehab assignment in Triple-A and should rejoin the Dodgers this weekend.

Dodgers relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol, sidelined since mid-July with a sore shoulder, is getting closer to a return to the big leagues. Nearing the end of his successful rehab stint with Triple-A Oklahoma City, there's just one last thing Graterol needs to do, according to Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register:

Relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol is scheduled to pitch on back-to-back days for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday and Saturday. If all goes well, that would complete his rehab assignment and Graterol would rejoin the Dodgers on Sunday.

After writing that in the Register, Plunkett got even better news from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts on Wednesday:

Graterol is scheduled to pitch tonight (Wednesday) for OKC and then again tomorrow (Thursday), instead of the originally reported Friday and Saturday. If all goes according to plan, that puts him in line to return from the injured list this weekend when the Dodgers come home to play the Marlins.

Graterol had a rough first couple months of the season, but he was cruising in the month leading up to his injury. In 16 innings since June 5, Graterol had a 1.13 ERA with 14 strikeouts and no walks to lower his season ERA from 4.81 to 3.35.

Graterol is the first of hopefully several important returns for the Dodgers bullpen. Blake Treinen has been rehabbing with Graterol in OKC and should return in early September. Yency Almonte's timeline is less defined, but hopefully somewhat similar. The returns of those three relievers, combined with Evan Phillips, Caleb Ferguson, and the suddenly outstanding David Price, could create quite a bullpen as the Dodgers head towards the postseason.