Graterol to miss Opening Day; Cactus League debuts ahead for Ohtani & Co.
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GLENDALE, Ariz. -- There will be an additional spot up for grabs in the Dodgers' bullpen, as manager Dave Roberts confirmed on Wednesday that righty reliever Brusdar Graterol will not be ready in time for Opening Day.
Graterol, who underwent right shoulder labrum surgery in November 2024, missed all of last season. He is ramping up slowly this spring, and his velocity was down when he first threw off the mound. The velocity has since ticked up some, but the Dodgers are not going to rush Graterol into action if it would mean compromising him later in the year.
"I think with Brusdar, he's shown that we can count on him when he's needed in the biggest of spots," Roberts said. "We just got to get him back up to that velocity. It's an intentionally slow buildup."
Shoulder and hamstring injuries have limited Graterol to just 10 appearances (seven in the regular season and three in the postseason) since the beginning of 2024. Last season, the Dodgers lacked a right-handed relief option who could reliably take down right-handed hitters the way Graterol could.
In addition to closer Edwin Díaz and Blake Treinen, there should be at least two more spots open for right-handers in the Dodgers' bullpen. The following arms should be among the top options, as things stand: Ben Casparius, Edgardo Henriquez, Kyle Hurt and Will Klein.
Cactus League debuts on tap
The Dodgers' game action begins this weekend, and a couple of big names should be making their spring debuts.
Shohei Ohtani will likely hit in the first two games, while Yoshinobu Yamamoto will likely start one of them, Roberts said. The Dodgers play both weekend games on the road, facing the Angels in Tempe on Saturday and the Padres in Peoria on Sunday. Both games will be broadcast on SportsNet LA.
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The Dodgers have not announced when Ohtani and Yamamoto will leave to join Samurai Japan for the World Baseball Classic, but they have limited time to get in game reps beforehand. Starting on Saturday would give Yamamoto the best chance to make multiple spring starts before leaving.
Roberts said some of the Dodgers' regulars -- including Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy -- will likely be eased into games this spring. That is not because of injury concerns, like with Graterol, but taking into account their workload over the past couple of seasons.
Odds and ends
Emmet Sheehan was back in camp Wednesday after being absent for a few days due to an illness. He didn't miss significant time, but it has paused his ramp-up somewhat.
"How much it's put him behind, I don't know that," Roberts said. "But when you miss two and a half days of work as a starting pitcher, it puts you behind. Hopefully he kept his arm moving a little bit."
Hurt, who came into this year as possible rotation depth, said he's been told to prepare for a relief role this spring. That doesn't preclude him from stretching out at some point, but it clarifies the plan for him. Hurt was out last season while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery, but he was able to complete a Minor League rehab assignment at the end of the year.