Dodgers somehow botched Brusdar Graterol's injury diagnosis, renewing hope

It was a brutal scene on Tuesday night, when Brusdar Graterol had to be helped off the field after throwing just eight pitches in his season debut. He'd been hurt since spring training, when he pitched just one inning before going onto the IL with shoulder inflammation. Although his progression back took a while, he seemed to have done everything right. He looked shaky in his Triple-A rehab assignment outings, but he could've just been shaking off the cobwebs.

So the Dodgers welcoming back one of their most dominant relievers in 2023, only to have him seemingly hit by another devastating injury his first time back out, was tough to watch. After the game, the Dodgers said that he'd suffered a grade 3 hamstring strain, a complete tear of the muscle, which would've all but ended his season.

However, the team corrected themselves the next day. Dave Roberts said that it was actually a grade 1 strain, a significantly milder injury with a shorter recovery time. With two months of the season left, there is a chance that the Dodgers could see him again this season.

Dodgers amend their original assessment of Brusdar Graterol's hamstring injury

While it's incredibly strange that the Dodgers got it so wrong, and that could prompt a few side-eyes at the medical staff, this is great news for the bullpen. Graterol still went onto the 15-day IL, but that's still a much better prognosis than the Dodgers were initially anticipating. Although they'll definitely want to be careful with him on upon a second return, he might not even need a another lengthy rehab assignment if he can bounce back from this well.

Blake Treinen and Ryan Brasier are both still on the IL, and while Brasier is still without a clear timeline to return, he does seem to be trending upward. Michael Grove was also officially reinstated after Graterol went back down. It's still frustrating that the bullpen seemed to be just on the cusp of finally looking (mostly) whole again before the most recent injuries, but it does leave room to hope that they'll still get there by the end of the season.