Brusdar Graterol Hopes for Opening Day, but Will Miss the Trip to Korea
March 12, 2024 by Emily Montano
March 12, 2024 by Emily Montano
Photo via The Athletic
It's become more apparent who will and won't travel to Seoul, South Korea, where the Dodgers will play the Padres in their opening series starting on Thursday.
One of the players who won't be traveling is right-hander Brusdar Graterol, who was perhaps the Dodgers' best reliever this past season with a 1.20 ERA in 68 appearances. He has been restricted this spring by a hip injury and right shoulder stiffness.
On March 2, Graterol said he experienced hip discomfort during his first—and thus far only—Cactus League game against the Cubs. Graterol's hip injury threw off his mechanics, which resulted in pain in his shoulders.
Graterol announced that later in the week he will throw some more. Given that the right-hander has gone through this in the past, neither Graterol nor the Dodgers are overly concerned. There is still hope that he will be ready for the team's home Opening Day against the Cardinals on March 28.
The Dodgers have some spaces in the bullpen for the two games against the Padres, since Graterol will not be traveling and Blake Treinen's availability is also uncertain due to a bruised lung in his latest appearance when he got hit by a pitch in the ribs that will prevent him from throwing in the coming days.
Photo via Fox News
Although the club will be able to send 31 players to South Korea, only 26 of them will be playing. Matt Gage, a left-hander, could be included in that group as well, but righty Daniel Hudson seems to be the favorite to make the team out of Spring Training.
Hudson signed a Minor League contract this winter and received an invitation to Spring Training after missing the majority of the previous two seasons due to injuries to both knees. Hudson has demonstrated that he is healing well over the course of his most recent appearances, and his performance has been improving. In addition, Hudson's contract contains an opt-out date of March 15.
The Dodgers' bullpen will include Evan Phillips, Joe Kelly, Ryan Brasier, Ryan Yarbrough, and Alex Vesia, pending any unexpected events. In addition, Gus Varland might be considered as a one-inning substitute, particularly in the event that Treinen is unable to travel. The two starters, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, will be followed by multi-inning options in the bullpen by Gavin Stone and Michael Grove, who are both contenders for a rotation position.
Manager Dave Roberts stated that the last decisions will be made on Wednesday. But with just one game remaining this spring, everything is beginning to come together.