The Los Angeles Dodgers are being forced to roll with a pitching staff constructed from packing peanuts and Elmer’s Glue at this point.
The Dodgers announced on Thursday that they have placed righty reliever Brusdar Graterol on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. In a corresponding move, the team is now activating catcher Austin Barnes.
Graterol, a member of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series-winning team, has long been known as one of the team’s more reliable and hardest-throwing relievers, posting a spotless 1.20 ERA in 68 appearances last season. But he already missed extended time to start the year due to an injury to the same shoulder and then suffered a hamstring injury soon after making his season debut in August. As a result, Graterol has only made seven appearances all season and may now be in serious doubt for the Dodgers’ playoff run as well.
This is just more of the same for the Dodgers, who have an all-time IL squad by now, even if you limit it to just their pitchers. Graterol now joins Clayton Kershaw as another veteran arm in danger of missing the postseason along with the quartet of River Ryan, Emmet Sheehan, Gavin Stone, and Dustin May (all of whom are certainly done for the year). That doesn’t even count the ace pitcher whom the Dodgers got bad news on earlier this month.
