Brusdar Graterol Eyes Comeback Season with Dodgers After Lost Year
Brusdar Graterol isn’t just looking to return in 2026-he’s aiming to remind everyone exactly why he’s been one of the most electric arms in the Dodgers’ bullpen over the past few seasons. After missing all of 2025 with a right shoulder injury that required labrum surgery, the hard-throwing right-hander is finally feeling like himself again-and just in time for a Dodgers team that has reloaded for another deep postseason run.
Speaking at DodgerFest over the weekend, Graterol made it clear: he’s healthy, motivated, and ready to get back on the mound.
“Right now I’m in a good position,” Graterol said. “I feel great, my body.
The goal is to stay healthy too... I’m going to be working hard and ready to rock and roll.”
That’s music to the ears of Dodgers fans and team brass alike. Graterol spent all of last season trying to work his way back, but the process was anything but linear.
Despite early hopes that he might return in the second half of 2025, setbacks piled up, and he never made it into a game-not even at the Minor League level. It wasn’t for lack of effort, either.
Graterol pushed through months of rehab, throwing sessions, and physical therapy, but his shoulder just wasn’t cooperating.
“I had good days, bad days, but I had more bad days,” he admitted. “I never gave up... but my arm, my shoulder was so tired because I was throwing all year trying to be back.”
Eventually, he made the difficult call to shut it down and focus on being ready for 2026. That decision appears to be paying off.
Graterol said his shoulder started feeling normal again in January, and now he’s back to long-tossing from 200 feet with an eye on throwing bullpens soon. The goal?
Be ready for Opening Day.
That’s a big deal for the Dodgers, who are counting on Graterol to be a key piece in a retooled bullpen that now includes offseason additions like Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott, alongside returning arms like Alex Vesia and Blake Treinen. When healthy, Graterol brings a unique mix of velocity and movement that few relievers in the league can match. His sinker routinely touches triple digits, and he’s shown the ability to induce weak contact at an elite level.
In his five partial seasons with the Dodgers, Graterol has quietly put together one of the more effective relief resumes in the league: a 2.69 ERA, 3.19 FIP, and 1.03 WHIP over 181 innings. He’s not a strikeout artist in the mold of some high-leverage relievers, but his groundball-heavy approach and ability to limit hard contact have made him a reliable late-inning option.
The 2026 season also marks an important one personally for Graterol-it’s his final year of team control before he hits free agency. He and the Dodgers avoided arbitration this offseason by agreeing to a one-year, $2.8 million deal, a fair number for a pitcher with his track record and upside. But if he can stay healthy and return to form, he could be setting himself up for a significant payday next winter.
For now, though, the focus is on the present-and getting back to doing what he does best.
“Thank God for another year here with the team, the best team,” Graterol said. “I feel great.”
If his arm holds up, the Dodgers bullpen just got a whole lot deeper-and the rest of the National League should take notice.