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Brusdar Graterol has undergone back surgery, and his return to the Dodgers this season is now in serious jeopardy, per Jack Harris at the New York Post. That’s a significant blow for a bullpen that was counting on Graterol’s high-octane arm at some point this year.

Graterol has been one of the most electric relief arms in the Dodgers organization when healthy — and that qualifier has always been the issue. The right-hander burst onto the scene as a hard-throwing prospect originally acquired from the Twins in the 2020 trade that sent Kenta Maeda to Minnesota. At his best, Graterol sits in the upper 90s with a heavy sinker that generates ground balls at an elite rate, and he pairs it with a slider that can miss bats. He was a key piece of the Dodgers’ 2020 World Series bullpen and showed flashes of dominance in subsequent seasons. But his career has been defined by an unrelenting string of injuries — shoulder problems, elbow issues, and now back surgery. Each time he seems close to reclaiming a prominent role, his body intervenes. It’s genuinely frustrating to watch because the stuff is undeniable when he’s on the mound.

Back surgery is no small thing for a power reliever whose entire game is built on generating force through his lower half and core. Recovery timelines for these procedures vary, but the fact that the Dodgers are already signaling his return this season is in jeopardy tells you this isn’t a minor cleanup. We’re likely looking at months of rehab before he’s even throwing off a mound again, let alone facing hitters in competitive situations.

For the Dodgers bullpen, losing Graterol for potentially the entire season means the front office and coaching staff need to find answers elsewhere. We’ve already seen Brandon Dreyer activated recently, and the organization has been cycling through options to fill high-leverage roles. Graterol was supposed to be part of that equation eventually — a weapon you could deploy in the seventh or eighth inning with swing-and-miss stuff and the ability to induce weak contact. That option is off the table now, or at least severely in doubt.

I think this accelerates the timeline for the Dodgers to address the bullpen externally. Whether that means a trade deadline acquisition or continued internal development, the margin for error just got thinner. The Dodgers have the rotation depth and offensive firepower to absorb this kind of loss better than most teams, but come October, you need arms you trust in the late innings. Graterol was supposed to be one of those guys. Now they’ll need to find that trust somewhere else.

Source(s): Jack Harris (New York Post) | First reported: June 1, 2026 12:30 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers