Dodgers’ Trade for Brock Stewart Appears to Hit Minor Snag

Minnesota Twins pitcher Brock Stewart (61) is pulled by manager Rocco Baldelli (5) in the sixth inning of the MLB interleague game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Minnesota Twins at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The Reds won 6-5. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Los Angeles Dodgers have agreed to a deal to land right-handed reliever Brock Stewart from the Minnesota Twins, but the deal has hit a bit of a snag.

Stewart had Tommy John surgery and a 2023 elbow issue after that, per MLB insider Dan Hayes. Last season, the reliever had shoulder surgery. There are quite a few factors to look over, according to Hayes.

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Brock Stewart has had Tommy John. He had an elbow issue in 2023 after that. He had shoulder issues that led to arthroscopic surgery in 2024. Has a long medical history to look over. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 31, 2025

The Dodgers have become synonymous with pitching injuries in recent seasons, and if there is an apparent risk with Stewart found in his medical history, it would be best to void the deal and not add to the ailments on the pitching roster.

Stewart has presented a ton of value this season and seems to have recovered from his past injuries swimmingly.

The former and imminent Dodger, has a 2.38 ERA this year across 34 innings of work. He has tossed 41 strikeouts to 11 walks, allowing just nine earned runs all year.

When it comes to right-handed hitting, however, Stewart is on another level. Rightys have just a .104 batting average against him on the year, with a .327 OPS.

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In terms of average exit velocity, on either side of the plate, batters have trouble hitting the ball with power against him.

Stewart has an average exit velocity of 86.9 mph, putting him in the 92nd percentile across qualified pitchers. He also has an elite knack for getting batters to swing and miss at his offerings, doing so 32.8 percent of the time, which is good for the 93rd percentile across MLB.

When it comes to Stewart's heater, it has an average velocity of 96.1 mph, but his fastball speed ranks in just the 79th percentile around the league. Regardless of speed, the four-seamer has an opposing batting average of just .191 against it with a swing-and-miss rate of 34.5 percent.

The hope is that Stewart is good to go and can bring his talents to a bullpen in need, but the Dodgers will be doing their due diligence on the reliever.

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