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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
LOS ANGELES — Brusdar Graterol had spent all season recovering from a shoulder injury — only to exit eight pitches into his return.
Graterol, one of the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ most important relievers, grabbed at his right leg immediately after throwing a pitch to Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto in Tuesday’s sixth inning.
After getting checked on near the pitcher’s mound, he was helped off the field by teammate Enrique Hernandez and head athletic trainer Thomas Albert. Graterol was clearly emotional as he made his way to the third-base dugout.
The Dodgers subsequently diagnosed him with a strained right hamstring.
Graterol, 25, has been a crucial high-leverage reliever in recent years, posting a 2.08 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 114 appearances from 2022 to 2023. But Graterol suffered a shoulder injury early in spring training and a setback as he was nearing his return in April. He wasn’t activated off the injured list until Monday.
Now the Dodgers don’t know how much longer they’ll be without him.
Their bullpen is currently without Blake Treinen (hip), Ryan Brasier (calf) and Michael Grove (lat). Heading into Tuesday, their bullpen had posted a 4.35 ERA since the All-Star break.
The Dodgers lost to the Phillies 6-2.