Injured Dodgers Reliever Progressing Well, Expected to Throw Bullpen This Week

Some good news finally emerged from the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday regarding reliever Brusdar Graterol, who has not thrown a pitch for the club all season.

Manager Dave Roberts addressed the media ahead of the Dodgers' Sunday night game against the Yankees and said that Graterol has progressed in his throwing program far enough to throw a bullpen session at Camelback Ranch this week.

Graterol has been out all season with shoulder pain and this is the first positive news we've heard in quite some time.

Per #Dodgers Dave Roberts -- Brusdar Graterol has progressed in his throwing program far enough to throw a bullpen session at CBR this week. Graterol has been out all season with shoulder pain. This is the first positive news we've heard in quite some time
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) June 9, 2024

The hard-throwing righty was diagnosed with right shoulder inflammation/pain in spring training, and the last time any news was shared about his rehab was at the end of April when he was shut down. At the time, he was still feeling discomfort in his arm when throwing and wasn't bouncing back as well as the team had hoped.

Neither Roberts nor the Dodgers have ever given a timeline for Graterol's return but they have indicated that it would be a “long program” to get Graterol back on a big league mound.

The Dodgers' bullpen has been great without Graterol, so the right-hander would add valuable depth when he's finally cleared. He was a major part of the bullpen last season, throwing 67.1 innings with a 1.20 ERA.