Dodgers activate key bullpen piece that could dictate trade deadline plans

In the immediate aftermath of the Dodgers' 2025 trade deadline, their trade with the Twins for reliever Brock Stewart looked like their most impactful deal among a heap of otherwise underwhelming ones.

Stewart was a homegrown Dodger who never worked out in LA (the Dodgers DFA'ed him in 2019) but managed to reinvent himself in Minnesota. The Dodgers' bullpen was in dire straits at the time, and Stewart had done admirable middle-inning work in the first half.

He ended up pitching 3 2/3 innings after the deadline before going onto the IL, then he underwent shoulder surgery in the offseason, which kept him off the mound until early May. He pitched two hitless innings ... and then he went back onto the IL.

On Monday, the Dodgers announced that Stewart had been reactivated (again) and Chayce McDermott was headed back to Oklahoma City.

Not only is the move perfect timing for the bullpen game the Dodgers are staging Monday night against Stewart's former Twins, how well he manages to bounce back could be a factor in how busy Andrew Friedman and the Dodgers' front office choose to get at this year's trade deadline.

Dodgers activate Brock Stewart off of IL for the second time in 2026

Over the last few years, Friedman and Brandon Gomes have both claimed that their borderline excessive offseason moves are at least partially made with an eye toward an uneventful trade deadline. For the most part, that was true in 2024 and especially 2025. (Of course, if the Tigers make Tarik Skubal available, both are going to be extremely busy, but for now they just have to lie in wait.)

But the bullpen is an area where the Dodgers have never been hesitant to add. They picked up Michael Kopech in 2024 and Stewart in 2025. The Dodgers' pitching injuries have been a little less concerning this year than they typically are, but Blake Treinen just went onto the IL. The bullpen has also struggled as a whole since their 38-inning scoreless streak ended in late May.

With Stewart, it's not only a matter of if he can be good but if he can stay healthy. Hopefully, he's gotten it all of the absolutely terrible timing of his system by now and will be able to get through the rest of the season unscathed. Although the Dodgers are still far from desperate from bullpen help, Dodgers fans know things could turn that way on a dime.

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