PHOENIX — The Dodgers’ bullpen has been giving up fewer hits recently. But that group keeps taking hits.
The latest they’ll have to absorb is the loss of Ryan Brasier, likely for as much as two months. Brasier suffered a strained calf muscle during a pre-game workout on Monday. Unfortunately for Brasier, it was a familiar feeling.
“I was doing some sprints. Felt it blow up in my calf,” said Brasier, who had the same injury to his left calf in 2021.
“That was about two months (missed). It was the last day of spring training. I actually did this one (points at left leg) covering first base. Then the last day that I was supposed to be rehabbing, I got hit in the head with a line drive. So that made that turn into like four months.”
The Dodgers’ bullpen has already been operating without Brusdar Graterol and Blake Treinen. Both opened the season on the injured list. Graterol remains on the 60-day IL with shoulder inflammation, having started and stopped a throwing program when the discomfort persisted.
Treinen is nearing the end of a minor-league injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City. According to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, Treinen is expected to pitch Wednesday and Thursday for OKC. The back-to-back outings could be the final box to be checked before Treinen is cleared to join the Dodgers.
“The main thing is to get Blake back healthy,” Roberts said. “I think that we’ve been very diligent as far as going through that process of his buildup. He’ll pitch a couple times this week and then we want to make sure he does a back-to-back. So once he does his back-to-back, then we’ll have a conversation.”
In the meantime, Roberts said veterans Joe Kelly and Daniel Hudson become even more important as the main setup relievers in front of Evan Phillips. In both cases, however, the Dodgers have to be mindful of their workload.
“I think with Joe … we always have to be mindful of his workload,” Roberts said. “He’d probably resist that or argue against that, but he’s not a very physical guy. You’ve just got to be mindful and know that, when he’s strong and the workload’s right, he’s very, very effective and good.
“Obviously with Joe we’re going to have to count on Joe, continue to count on Joe, just the guys that we’ve got. This was a big blow. We’ve got to weather it. I’m sure we’ll be churning through some guys in the next couple weeks. But hopefully we get Blake back. That would be nice, too.”
Staring at the likelihood of two months on the sidelines, Brasier was philosophical.
“It’s obviously frustrating,” he said. “But (stuff) happens.”
Right-hander Walker Buehler made his sixth rehab start Tuesday (his fifth with Triple-A OKC) and completed five innings for the first time. He allowed one run on seven hits with no walks and five strikeouts in what could be his final tune-up before rejoining the Dodgers and making his first major league start since June 2022 at some point next week.
“I hope so,” Roberts said. “We’ll see how he comes out of it. But if all goes well I think it’s a very likely possibility.”
Recovering right-handers Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin joined the Dodgers at Chase Field this week, traveling over from the training complex at Camelback Ranch where they have both been rehabbing from elbow surgeries.
Gonsolin will not pitch this season. May has progressed in his throwing program far enough to throw his first bullpen session in the next week to 10 days. In spring training, May said he hopes to return in August or September and pitch for the Dodgers.
“I think the hope is that at some point in time he’ll come back. But when that time is we just don’t know,” Roberts said of May. “His health is the most important. We just have to make sure he’s healthy and there’s no rush or no expectation from us.”
Right-hander Bobby Miller has been playing catch but has not progressed to throwing off a mound yet. Miller has been sidelined since April 10 with shoulder inflammation.
Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 3-1, 3.54 ERA) at Diamondbacks (RHP Zac Gallen, 3-2, 3.38 ERA), Wednesday, 6:40 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM
