The Dodgers’ bullpen depth faces another test. A 27-year-old reliever’s stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers will likely end without throwing a pitch this season. His plans to return in Dodger blue this year went awry as another injury hampered his rehab. Instead of returning to the mound, the pitcher went back to the operating room on Sunday.

Brusdar Graterol has already missed a season and a half due to his 2024 shoulder surgery and was rehabbing in Triple-A. But he sustained a back injury on May 12 during a minor-league outing, which required surgery to fix. The injury forced Graterol into another round of a months-long recovery, putting his MLB return in jeopardy.

After the surgery, Graterol wrote on Instagram, per NY Post, “I fell again, but I won’t stay down here. I will rise. My goal isn’t over — it’s just beginning.”

The back surgery is a brand new issue. This adds new physical hurdles after his major shoulder surgery, which cost him his 2025 season. Graterol had pitched in just four Triple-A games before the back pain stopped him. The Dodgers and Graterol have reportedly explored all other options before ruling surgery as the only viable option. According to the NY Post, Brandon Gomes remarked, “He’s worked really hard [to try and come back].”

If Graterol wishes to return this year, he will have to recover rapidly with only three months left of the regular season. He will have to go through another rehab assignment and build up that usually takes six weeks, making his healing time even shorter. With Graterol’s recent recovery history, rushing through the process might do more harm than good.

The Dodgers signed Graterol to a one-year, $2.8 million deal before the 2026 season. He will become a free agent after this season. The last time Graterol played in an MLB game was in 2024. Graterol pitched only 7.1 innings during the regular season that year. He helped the Dodgers win against the New York Yankees during the 2024 World Series, throwing 2.1 innings in 3 games. Graterol holds a career ERA of 2.78 with an 11-9 record in 188 games.

Following the World Series in 2024, Graterol had labrum surgery in November that year on his right throwing shoulder. Initially scheduled to return in 2025, Graterol’s recovery took longer than expected. Now he is back to square one again.

Including Graterol, the Dodgers have been facing multiple injuries lately. They have 14 players on the major league IL. But Teoscar Hernandez is already on the road to recovery.

Teoscar Hernandez’s injury update

One day after Kike Hernandez was sidelined due to a severe muscle tear, Teoscar Hernandez also went down with a hamstring injury. He strained his left hamstring while running out an infield single during his first at-bat. Hernandez left the game early, in the second inning, during their match against the Colorado Rockies last week.

The Dodgers placed Hernandez on the 10-day IL after MRI results showed a Grade 1 hamstring strain. He will reportedly be out for a month due to the injury. The Dodgers don’t want to rush Hernandez through recovery, especially after what happened with his last season’s groin injury. After missing two weeks, he came back to the majors too quickly last season and ended up struggling throughout, having not healed properly.

“Because, fool me once,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told the Orange County Register, referencing last year’s injury. “He wanted to get back and felt he was good, and you look back, and he wasn’t. So we’re not going to make that mistake again.”

Teoscar, too, admits that his hamstring issue is different from the one he had in his groin. However, he hopes to return to the field at the earliest.

“I think it was a little different because it was in my groin. Everything I do, you use that part of the body to do it, especially in this game,” Hernandez told the Orange County Register. “But I think if I give it time, right and rest like I should, the hamstring should heal soon, and maybe I’ll be back on the field sooner than they say.”

Before his injury, Hernandez was impressive at the plate. In 204 plate appearances, he has recorded 79 total bases while slashing .276/.348/.436 with 7 homers and a .784 OPS this season.

The Dodgers’ roster is already battered. Losing both Graterol and Hernandez at the same time is a massive blow. The rest of the clubhouse is just going to have to step up while they recover.