Brusdar Graterol Undergoes Back Surgery
Dodgers right-hander Brusdar Graterol underwent back surgery yesterday and could miss the remainder of the season as a result, reports Jack Harris of the California Post. The right-hander, already on the mend from Nov. 2024 shoulder surgery, missed all of the 2025 season and hasn’t thrown in a big league game since the 2024 playoffs.
Specifics of Graterol’s surgery aren’t clear, but it’s a frustrating setback for an extremely talented right-hander who simply hasn’t been able to avoid the injured list. Graterol pitched only seven regular-season innings in 2024 due to recurring shoulder troubles. He’s pitched in parts of six MLB seasons but has only 50 innings in one of those six seasons. Graterol boasts a terrific 2.78 earned run average in his career but has only managed to pitch 190 2/3 frames dating back to his late-season debut with the Twins in 2019.
Minnesota traded Graterol to the Dodgers in the 2019-20 offseason deal that sent Kenta Maeda the other direction. In retrospect, it’s been a pretty fair deal for both sides. Both pitchers missed substantial time with injury but were largely effective when healthy enough to take the mound with their new teams. Graterol has a 2.69 ERA in 180 innings as a Dodger (not including the playoffs) and was dominant in the healthiest season of his career (2023): 67 1/3 innings, 1.20 ERA, 19 holds, seven saves, 18.7% strikeout rate, 4.7% walk rate and a colossal 64.4% ground-ball rate.
The surgery could very well spell the end of Graterol’s tenure in Los Angeles. It doesn’t sound as though it’s a foregone conclusion that his season is finished, but if this does shelve him for the remainder of the year, he’s slated to become a free agent for the first time in the 2026-27 offseason.
At the very least, Harris notes that Graterol is facing a monthslong absence. Perhaps he can return for a handful of late appearances, as he did in 2024, but the Dodgers will again navigate the summer without one of their most talented bullpen arms. Graterol had begun a rehab assignment in early May before suffering a setback a couple weeks in.
The Dodgers already had Edwin Diaz on the 60-day IL after he required surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow. Evan Phillips is nearing the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery and is still a ways from returning. Brock Stewart has managed to pitch only two innings this season owing to shoulder and foot injuries. Ben Casparius has been out since mid-April due to shoulder inflammation.
Despite that slate of injuries, L.A.’s bullpen has been dominant. Dodgers relievers rank fourth in the majors in ERA (3.12), first in FIP (3.15), fifth in SIERA (3.36), second in strikeout rate (25.6%) and ninth in walk rate (9.2%). Their top seven relievers by innings pitched — Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia, Will Klein, Jack Dreyer, Kyle Hurt, Edgardo Henriquez and Blake Treinen — all have ERAs of 3.43 or better.
The Opener: Yankees, Misiorowski, Madden
Angels outfielder Jose Siri robbed a grand slam on Sunday against the Rays, reaching over the short wall in left to bring back a would-be homer from Taylor Walls. In the process of saving four runs, Siri also preserved the lunch spread (video via MLB).
1. Yankees’ wild third inning
The Yankees racked up 13 runs against the Athletics on Sunday, all of which came in the third inning. The output was tied for the second-most runs in a single inning in franchise history, behind only Babe Ruth’s 1920 squad that put up 14 in an inning against the Senators (h/t Theo DeRosa of MLB.com). The list of superlatives goes on, but the most surprising stat might be what happened outside of the big inning. The Yankees went hitless in every other frame besides the third. As DeRosa noted, the Yankees are the first team to score 13 times while being held without a hit or run in the rest of the innings.
2. Misiorowski finally allows a double
Brewers right-hander Jacob Misiorowski wrapped up a stellar May with seven scoreless innings against the Astros yesterday. He permitted just one earned run in 38 1/3 innings last month. Heading into the matchup in Houston, Misiorowski had gone six starts without allowing an extra-base hit. He was the first pitcher since 1900 to have at least 45 strikeouts and not give up more than a single over a stretch of six games (h/t Adam McCalvy of MLB.com). The run came to an end in the fourth inning on Sunday, as third baseman Isaac Paredes pulled a slider to left field for a double. Misiorowski quickly got a groundout and a flyout to avoid any damage.
3. Madden expected back Monday
The Tigers are activating right-hander Ty Madden today, per Chris McCosky of the Detroit News. He’s expected to cover the bulk of the innings against the Rays, either as a traditional starter or following an opener. Madden has been on the IL since mid-May with a forearm contusion. He was hit in the arm by a 108 mph line drive off the bat of Blue Jays outfielder Yohendrick Pinango. The righty had only recently returned from a shoulder strain. Madden tossed five scoreless innings in his first outing, then followed it up with six frames of one-run ball. He’s operated as a bulk reliever in all three appearances this year.
Photo courtesy of D. Ross Cameron, Imagn Images