Brock Stewart (shoulder surgery) starts rehab; roadmap to LA return TBD

LOS ANGELES -- About six and a half months after undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery, right-hander Brock Stewart is in the final stretch of his rehab.

On Tuesday, Stewart joined Single-A Ontario to begin a rehab assignment, where he'll pitch in his first affiliated game action since last September. Major League pitchers are allowed to spend 30 days on a rehab assignment, and Stewart will likely spend close to that maximum amount of time in the Minors while building up his arm.

Compared to a regular spring buildup, Stewart is essentially at the stage where Cactus League games begin. As such, he has a lot of boxes to check before he can be an option for the Dodgers, including pitching two out of three games and throwing on back-to-back days.

"You’re sort of looking at Spring Training and how many outings a reliever takes," manager Dave Roberts said ahead of Tuesday's game against the Mets. "I would say [at least] three weeks is probably what it’s going to take."

Stewart, 34, made just four appearances for the Dodgers last year before hitting the injured list with right shoulder inflammation in August, and after he made a trio of rehab outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City in September, the team determined that he would be better served by undergoing a debridement procedure on the shoulder rather than pitch through pain in the postseason.

Ahead of last year's Trade Deadline, Stewart was the Dodgers' lone Major League bullpen acquisition. Traded from the Twins in exchange for outfielder James Outman, Stewart posted a 2.63 ERA with 44 strikeouts against 13 walks in 43 appearances before going down with the shoulder injury.

Last year, the Dodgers lacked a right-handed reliever who could reliably take down right-handed hitters, making Stewart (.390 OPS vs. righties in 2025) a logical addition. This year, the bullpen has looked strong through the first few weeks, but L.A. could still use another tough right-on-right option on the bridge to the ninth inning and closer Edwin Díaz.

The Dodgers are currently carrying five right-handed relievers: Díaz, Blake Treinen, Will Klein, Edgardo Henriquez and Kyle Hurt. When Stewart is ready to return, that could potentially set up some competition between Klein, Henriquez and Hurt to keep a spot in the bullpen.

"When it gets closer, that’ll certainly be a conversation," Roberts said. "I hope we have that because that means everyone’s healthy. Hopefully it’ll be a tough conversation. But we expect him back, expect him to be good. With him being out … it’s an opportunity to see other guys."