The Los Angeles Dodgers have a busy week ahead of them as they put together a plan of attack for the approaching trade deadline.
The team’s biggest priorities seem to be targeting starting pitching and some offensive help before July 30 passes.
The bullpen has been one of the team’s biggest strengths in 2024 and has helped keep the team afloat during its most turbulent times as a group to rely on. This should still continue to be the case going forward, despite some uncharacteristic struggles recently from Evan Phillips.
The group could see some minor additions before the trade deadline, but the main additions could be from the team’s own injured list. Michael Grove, Brusdar Graterol, Ryan Brasier are all potential additions to the bullpen once they are healthy enough to be activated from the injured list.
The Dodgers have already seen one of their injured relievers return as Joe Kelly made his first appearance in over two months last weekend.
Graterol and Grove could be the next two candidates for activation as they begin their rehab assignments, and their path to return is mapped out, according to Jack Harris of the L.A. Times:
Roberts said both could require five-to-seven outings before returning to the big leagues.
Overall, the bullpen has been overworked due to the struggles of the starting pitching, which may have led to a dip in production.
The group had a rough series in Detroit with back-to-back blown saves, and Evan Phillip in particular continued to struggle against the Boston Red Sox. However, they continue to be one of the league’s best in terms of ERA.
The possible additions of Graterol and Grove should only boost their success and give them arguably the deepest bullpen in MLB.
What can Graterol and Grove bring to Dodgers bullpen?
Graterol has yet to pitch for the team in 2024 as injuries sustained during Spring Training have kept him off the field. As one of the team’s best relievers, his probable return to the bullpen would most likely be better than any deadline deal the Dodgers could pull off in terms of bullpen help this season.
Grove is an interesting option as he showed signs of improvement as the season progressed before he was sidelined by injury. In particular, he looked a lot more effective once the team stopped using him in a multi-inning role and his 3.15 FIP is a promising reason to be optimistic about him as a middle inning option.
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