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Brock Stewart‘s left foot bone spur is not responding to treatment, per staff at Dodger Blue. Stewart had his 2026 season interrupted by the injury, and the lack of progress is a troubling sign for a Dodgers bullpen already stretched thin by multiple absences.

Stewart has been a quietly reliable arm for the Dodgers when healthy. The right-hander carved out a role in the bullpen after bouncing between the rotation and relief earlier in his career, and he’s shown the ability to pitch in high-leverage spots. Bone spurs in the foot can be particularly tricky for pitchers — the delivery puts enormous force through the landing foot, and if the bone spur doesn’t calm down with rest and conservative treatment, surgery becomes the next conversation. That’s the scenario nobody wants, but the language here — “not responding” — suggests the Dodgers may be approaching that crossroads sooner rather than later.

The timing compounds an already difficult stretch for the pitching staff. Edwin Díaz remains out as he works back from his own injury. Evan Phillips is progressing through his rehab from last year’s Tommy John surgery and appears to be getting closer to a return, but he’s not back yet. Losing Stewart’s availability on top of those two absences leaves the bullpen operating with a thinner margin for error than anyone in the organization would like.

I think the Phillips timeline becoming clearer is the one piece of good news here. We covered earlier this week that Phillips is “in a good spot” with a rehab assignment on the horizon, and that return can’t come soon enough given what’s happening around him. But Phillips coming back doesn’t solve the Stewart problem — these are separate arms filling separate roles, and the Dodgers need both.

For the front office, this is the kind of development that starts to influence trade deadline thinking even though we’re still weeks away. If Stewart’s foot requires surgical intervention, you’re looking at a lengthy recovery timeline that could effectively end his 2026 season. Even if surgery isn’t needed, “not responding to treatment” rarely leads to a quick return. The Dodgers will need to find innings somewhere, whether that’s internal options from Triple-A Oklahoma City or external additions down the road.

The bullpen depth that looked like a strength coming into the season has taken real hits. We’re not at a crisis point — this roster has enough talent to absorb losses — but the margin keeps getting slimmer. Stewart’s situation is one to monitor closely over the next week or two as the team decides on next steps.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: May 29, 2026 4:25 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers