Dodgers lose Brusdar Graterol to injury, costing $2.8M

The Los Angeles Dodgers will likely lose $2.8 million reliever Brusdar Graterol for a second straight season after back-to-back injuries scuttled his return from right-shoulder surgery.

The 27-year-old flamethrower underwent labrum repair last November, a major procedure with an extended recovery timeline. When the Dodgers placed him on the injured list in March, there was little hope he’d pitch again before the All-Star break. His rehab hit another wall this week: back trouble forced the team to pull him from a Triple-A rehab assignment and schedule imaging. The results led to a second procedure, this one on his back, meaning another long road back. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Graterol isn’t close to a throwing program and almost certainly won’t be available in 2025.

It’s a brutal blow for a pitcher who has been a key piece of the Dodgers’ bullpen in past postseason runs. Graterol posted a 2.88 ERA in 2022–23 while helping Los Angeles reach the World Series, so his absence leaves a big hole in a relief corps that’s already been shuffled by injuries to starters like Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. The Dodgers are on the hook for his $2.8 million salary whether he throws a pitch or not—a financial hit they can absorb, but one that underscores how fragile a championship-caliber roster can become when the bullpen buckles.

For Graterol, the setbacks are personal. He was finally ready to step back into the majors after more than a year away, only to see his body betray him once again. The Dodgers say they still believe he’ll return stronger, but for now, another lost season is nearly certain. That matters because every arm counts when October rolls around, and the Dodgers can’t afford to chase another ring without their hardest-throwing reliever in the fold.