Dodgers Free Agent Pitcher Signs With Rays

Los Angeles Dodgers free agent right-handed pitcher Michael Grove has finally found a new home.

On Tuesday, the Tampa Bay Rays signed Grove to a major league contract, and immediately placed him on the 15-day injured list as he recovers from right shoulder surgery.

To make room on the Rays' 40-man roster, another former Dodger — right-handed pitcher Ryan Pepiot — was transferred to the 60-day injured list due to right hip inflammation.

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed RHP Michael Grove to a major league contract and placed him on the 15-day IL (right shoulder surgery). To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Ryan Pepiot (right hip inflammation) was transferred to the 60-day IL.
— Rays Communications (@RaysPR) April 14, 2026

Grove, 29, lasted pitched in 2024 as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder.

He spent the entire 2025 season in the Dodgers organization rehabbing, before being removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A. Grove, however, refused the assignment, and elected free agency instead.

Michael Grove Dodgers Career

Grove was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He was a top-30 prospect in the organization every year from 2019-23, ranking as high as No. 15 in 2019, per MLB Pipeline.

Grove made his MLB debut with the Dodgers in May 2022 against the Philadelphia Phillies. He ended up pitching 29.1 innings across seven appearances (six starts) that season, sporting a 4.60 ERA.

Grove pitched a career-high 69 innings in 2023, making 18 appearances (12 of them starts). He struggled mightily, though, sporting a 6.13 ERA with 73 strikeouts and 12 home runs allowed.

In 2024, Grove fully transitioned to the bullpen, making 39 appearances (only two of them starts) and sporting a 5.12 ERA across 51 innings.

He appeared in one game in the 2024 National League Division Series, suffering a shoulder injury that took him off the postseason roster. He underwent shoulder surgery in March 2025 and hasn't pitched since.

Grove is now looking to make an MLB return this season as he's 13 months removed from the surgery. He'll continue his recovery in Tampa Bay as he works toward a rehab assignment and a potential MLB return.

The Dodgers worked hard with Grove, transitioning him from a starting pitcher that relied on a four-seam fastball and knuckle curve to a reliever that mainly used a slider, while mixing in a sinker, cutter, knuckle curve and rarely a fastball.

The Rays will now take a chance on the 29-year-old Grove, looking to turn him into a serviceable major league pitcher.

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