As the postseason rapidly approaches, so does the return of highly anticipated pitchers for the Los Angeles Dodgers. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Brusdar Graterol made appearances last night in Triple-A Oklahoma City in efforts to return to a big league mound this month.
This marks Yamamoto’s second start in Triple-A, whereas it was just the first for the flame-throwing Graterol. Although their performances were far from perfect, they provided many positive takeaways for the future. Will these elite arms make their way back to the Los Angeles pitching staff this month?
Yamamoto On The Mound
Yamamoto made his first appearance on a rehab assignment last Wednesday. In this outing, he went two innings giving up just one hit and one earned run. The earned run came off of a solo home run. while giving up no walks, he garnered two strikeouts while throwing 31 pitches, 23 of which were strikes.
His start last night did not go as expected for the talented rookie. It was projected that Yamamoto would go three innings, however, he was only able to make it through two with his pitch count reaching 53. During his two-inning performance, he allowed two hits, two earned runs, and two walks. What eliminated his chances of going deeper in the game was a 17-pitch at-bat that resulted in a walk.
Though his performance was not free of error, he had many commendable aspects to take with him moving forward. He collected three Ks in his two innings of work. He threw 36 pitches for strikes, eight of which were whiffs.
The next step for Yamamoto is unknown. Manager Dave Roberts had projected this to be his final rehab start, however with his inability to go the full three innings, that plan may be altered. He will most likely return at some point in the middle of the month. Following his outing, Yamamoto spoke with media on the remainder of the rehab process. “I will talk to the organizational staff and coaches to see what my next step will be,” Yamamoto stated.
Dodgers Rehab Graterol
Amidst the buzz of Yamamoto’s rehab start, Graterol made his first rehab appearance since going on the IL for the second time. His relief appearance went as expected. While having a strong performance, there were still aspects that needed to be worked through.
He threw one inning, allowing three hits and one earned run. He had one strikeout, throwing 15 pitches total, 13 of those for strikes. His command and velocity were in typical Graterol fashion as he was reaching 99 MPH. He may potentially join the team within the next week, according to Roberts.
Graterol’s absence came in early August when he suffered a grade-one hamstring strain in his season debut. After missing the entire season, his injury on the mound seemed severe enough to take away his season altogether. His return to the active roster this month will be a huge win for both the Dodgers and Graterol.
Los Angeles Dodgers in the Future
As Los Angeles is leading the league with a record of 84-55, they look to become unstoppable heading into the postseason will all of their pitching staff healthy. As Yamamoto and Graterol gear up to return, so does phenom, Tyler Glasnow and ace, Clayton Kershaw.
Kershaw, working to heal a big toe injury, is still expected to return once his IL stint is complete. Glasnow was seen having a throwing session ahead of last night’s game versus the Los Angeles Angels. If the Dodgers can obtain all of their healthy stars, a chance at the World Series title is within reach for the star-studded team.
The Dodgers look to sweep the Angels in their two-game series tonight and move to 85-55 on the year. They hope to carry the momentum into the weekend as they take on the Cleveland Guardians in a three-game set starting Friday.
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