Dodgers Injury Update: Brusdar Graterol, Walker Buehler concerns continue to grow

Tyler Glasnow had a scary moment during his last start against the Blue Jays on Saturday, when he exited the game in the seventh with clear discomfort in his hand, and Dave Roberts came out to the mound with a trainer to check on him. Fans were reassured during the postgame, when Glasnow confirmed that it was just cramping because of the humidity.

But it was still a scary moment for Dodgers fans, who have seen multiple pitchers in both the rotation and bullpen go down with injury. Brusdar Graterol was one of the first; he only managed to pitch a single inning in spring training before he was out of commission for the rest of camp, and ended up on the 15-day IL with shoulder inflammation (never a good sign) to start the season.

He was transferred to the 60-day on April 2 and hasn't exactly been making positive progress toward return. He's started and stopped his throwing progression twice now, most recently on April 24, when Dave Roberts told reporters that he "just hasn't been bouncing back well."

The bullpen has been flailing in his absence, too, but hope of a speedy return to save them has pretty much gone out the window. The earliest Graterol will be available to return is early June, but even that seems optimistic with the way things are going.

Brusdar Graterol's throwing progression is halted again; Walker Buehler looking rough in minor league outings

A Dodgers pitcher who does finally seem to be on the right track to returning is Walker Buehler, who is on the verge of completing his rehab assignment in the minors, despite multiple setbacks over these first few months. It's gone on longer than he or the team expected it to, as those aforementioned setbacks kept his pitch count down multiple times, but his start in Triple-A on Tuesday could be his last before he's reinstated to the 26-man.

However, Buehler's performances in these rehab starts have been far from ideal. While it could be that he's just there to get loose and get back to the simple act of throwing a ball after not doing it competitively for almost two years, a 4.86 ERA through the minors is certainly not ideal. The delay in his return could have as much to do with the quality of his starts as the length of them, and although the Dodgers pitching staff is hurting, they've already made Buehler wait this long. If he's not at his best or even approaching his best, they shouldn't decide to speed things up now.