Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol will miss the start of the 2026 season, manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday morning.
The hurler, who missed much of 2024 and all of 2025 due to injury, has slimmed down ahead of the season, losing 20 pounds.
As Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic noted, though, the decision to hold off on playing Graterol is “not much of a surprise at this point.”
“The velocity ticked up last time he threw off a mound, but the Dodgers will continue to take things slow with him,” Ardaya said on social media.
Graterol Put in Work Ahead of Spring Training
Graterol told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain that he’s been working out two or three times a day to lose the weight.
He said he’d gotten up to 280 or 285. Graterol is listed at 265 pounds by ESPN.
“The first three weeks, to lose a lot of pounds … It’s so hard, I can’t walk or breathe, I can’t sleep very well. One day, I said, you know what, let me change my physical. And now I feel way better,” he said.
Graterol added that he’s “so proud of what I did with my body” and credited his family with motivating him.
“Never give up, always stay strong,” he said. “Thank God my wife, my mom, my daughter were there next to me to push me, keep my head up.”
What Does Graterol Bring to the Dodgers?
Graterol has been on the Dodgers since 2020, so he’s seen multiple championship teams during his tenure, which is now one of the longest on the team.
“I’m blessed to be here, every year, and thanks to the organization for the opportunity to wear the blue,” he said. “This team right now, we’re going to another level. We’re going to play the same baseball … We want to play hard every year.”
Over his career, Graterol has a 2.78 ERA, though he hasn’t seen significant time since 2023, when he pitched 67.1 innings and recorded a 1.20 ERA over that span.
In 2024, he only pitched 7.1 innings, notching a 2.45 ERA.
Do you think Graterol can regain his form and contribute to the team in 2025?