ANAHEIM, Calif. — A beleaguered, short-handed Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen got even more thin Tuesday, when Brock Stewart landed on the injured list with what manager Dave Roberts described as “a little bit of shoulder inflammation.”
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman believes the team “caught it at the very front end,” adding: “We’re optimistic that he’ll be back.”
But more will be known when Stewart, the team’s lone bullpen acquisition ahead of the trade deadline, undergoes further testing Wednesday. At minimum, he joins five other high-leverage relievers on the shelf — Evan Phillips, Brusdar Graterol, Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates.
Phillips has been lost for the year because of Tommy John surgery; the other five are expected back in the coming weeks. And though that might not provide much solace for a team that holds a 15-19 record since the start of July, has seen its division lead whittle to one game and deploys few, if any, reliable relievers in the bullpen these days, it remains a source of comfort for the Dodgers’ front office.
“I think that we have a very legitimate chance to have the most talented pitching staff in October we’ve ever had,” Friedman said before the second of a three-game road series against the Angels. “First we have to qualify for October. If we’re fortunate enough to do that, I think we will have arguably our most talented pitching staff that we’ve ever had with some really good pitchers left off. It’s what I’m anticipating.”
That, of course, remains to be seen.
Kopech (right knee) took part in a simulated game Monday and is on track to return before the end of the month, but he has made eight appearances all year. Scott (left elbow) and Yates (lower back) are also expected to face hitters this week and could return right around when Kopech does, but they’ve combined for a 4.21 ERA in 2025.
Graterol (right shoulder) is “doing well” in his throwing progression, Friedman said, and is expected to be available for the stretch run — but he’s coming back from offseason surgery.
Stewart, meanwhile, faced 20 batters and allowed nine of them to reach after being acquired from the Minnesota Twins on July 31. Stewart and reserve outfielder Alex Call were the only major leaguers acquired by the Dodgers ahead of the deadline — at a time when the division-rival San Diego Padres made a multitude of moves, highlighted by the acquisition of star closer Mason Miller.
Friedman and his group were engaged on bigger names for the bullpen (namely Griffin Jax) and the outfield (Steven Kwan) but were ultimately uncomfortable with the asking prices.
“There’s deals that we thought made sense for us we [that] pursued hard,” Friedman said. “It’s not like we had the potential to do a deal where we were like, ‘No,’ and now we wish we would have. It’s always that balance. Lining up on a trade is hard. We feel good about the work we put in and the group that we have. Again, taking a snapshot on Aug. 12 is one thing. Hopefully, if we make it into October, seeing the [postseason] roster that we submit, we feel that it’s going to be a very, very strong roster. That’s our bet, and that’s what we’re going with.”
Friedman revealed that Tony Gonsolin underwent an internal brace procedure that typically comes with an eight- to 10-month timetable, ending his season — which marked a return from an original Tommy John surgery in August of 2023 — after just seven starts.
The Dodgers, though, are fine in their rotation at the moment. Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani make up what they believe is a strong four-man rotation for October, with Clayton Kershaw and Emmet Sheehan also options and Roki Sasaki working his way back from a shoulder injury to serve as additional depth.
The concern is a star-studded offense that shockingly ranks within the bottom five in the majors in runs per game since the start of July.
The concern, too, is a bullpen that has been heavily taxed and continues to be shorthanded.
