Spring Training 2023

Dodgers' Tony Gonsolin: Beginning season on IL
Rotowire 1 HR AGO
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed Gonsolin (ankle) will begin the season on the injured list, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The news hardly comes as a surprise, as Gonsolin was expected to miss the first several weeks of the season anyway, but Roberts has now confirmed it. The 28-year-old righty began throwing again Wednesday, but the team will be going slow with his rehab process.

Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Could return at DH on Saturday
Rotowire 21 HRS AGO
Freeman (hamstring) is expected to serve as the designated hitter in a Cactus League game Saturday and then play first base Sunday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

That's tremendous news after Freeman tweaked his right hamstring Tuesday while representing Canada in the World Baseball Classic. It looks like that will turn out to be a minor blip for the star first baseman. He can remain penciled in for the Dodgers' starting lineup for Opening Day, which is exactly two weeks away.

In the game today, Pepperman K'd 2 hitters in the first inning on 9 pitches, walked Cody in the 2nd and looked like he was returning to his old habits in the 3rd. He walked the leadoff hitter on 4 pitches to open the inning and also allowed a single and double for a run. Mark Prior went out to talk to him, then he gave up a fly to shallow right, then a clutch K. Still, for the spring so far, 9 innings, 13Ks, 3 BB, 9 H and only 2 ERs. He can get clutch Ks and Prior will surely be working with him so he doesn't have another such 3rd inning.

Dodgers' Andrew Toles: Contract renewed by Los Angeles
Rotowire 14 HRS AGO
The Dodgers (personal) renewed Toles' contract Tuesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Toles hasn't played a game at any level since 2018, as he's been managing mental health issues that understandably are more important than baseball. The outfielder remains on the Dodgers' restricted list and is unlikely to continue his playing career in the near future, but the organization has opted to continue renewing his contract so that he can receive MLB health insurance.

Dodgers' Ryan Pepiot: Leaves start with side discomfort
Rotowire 16 HRS AGO
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Pepiot was dealing with side discomfort during his Cactus League start Friday against the Cubs, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

"Kind of something in the midsection of his body," Roberts told Dodgers reporter Kirsten Watson. "We just felt after that long third inning, we felt it was smart to put on that next inning and get him ready for his next start." The right-hander went three innings while allowing just one run, walking two and striking out four. The long inning Roberts referred to is an eight-run burst for the Dodgers before Pepiot exited. The 25-year-old has a good chance to open the season in the rotation, and Roberts mentioned that he believes Pepiot will make his next start, but fantasy managers will want to pay close attention to this situation.

Dodgers' Miguel Vargas: Strong results at plate
Rotowire 7 HRS AGO
Vargas has gone 7-for-16 with a home run and three doubles since the Dodgers allowed him to start swinging in games following a finger injury.

Vargas' spring slash line of .292/.452/.542 looks pretty good on the surface, but it's even better when taking into account the fact that he began the Cactus League schedule with orders from the team to not swing the bat. The rookie consequently racked up eight strikeouts (in eight at-bats) while simply tracking pitches before the restriction was lifted, and he's since shown no ill effects from the hairline fracture of his right pinky finger that he suffered early in camp. Vargas has also made some nice defensive plays at second base, where he's slated to log most of his time in a starting role this season.

Dodgers' Michael Grove: Mixed results in fifth spring start
Rotowire 7 HRS AGO
Grove tossed 3.2 innings against the White Sox in a Cactus League contest Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and no walks while striking out six batters.

Grove and Ryan Pepiot (side) are the leading candidates for the Dodgers' fifth-starter spot while Tony Gonsolin is on the IL with an ankle injury. Grove impressed with his six punchouts Saturday, but he also gave up five hits, including a leadoff home run to Andrew Benintendi. The right-hander has posted a 4.38 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and impressive 14:1 K:BB across 12.1 innings this spring, with three of the 12 hits against him leaving the park. Meanwhile, Pepiot -- who is dealing with a side injury but is expected to make his next spring start -- has a 2.00 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB and has served up zero home runs over nine frames.

Dodgers' Freddie Freeman: Reaches three times in return
Rotowire 16 HRS AGO
Freeman went 2-for-2 with a walk in Saturday's spring game against the White Sox.

Freeman was removed after three plate appearances, but that was to be expected. It was the first game back for the first baseman after he left Tuesday's World Baseball Classic game for Team Canada with tightness in his hamstring. There's no reason to think that Freeman won't be ready for the regular season, and his next step should be playing in the field sometime soon.

Dodgers’ Brusdar Graterol working to expand his arsenal

Story by Bill Plunkett, Los Angeles Daily News • Yesterday 5:32 PM

GLENDALE, Ariz. — With Brusdar Graterol, his fastball has always been the main attraction.

Over the past three seasons, its average velocity has been between 98.8 mph (2020) and 99.5 mph (2021). Last year (99.4 mph), it was the sixth-highest average velocity in the majors. Graterol is the only pitcher to rank sixth or higher in fastball velocity each of the past three years.

But that alone isn’t enough. Developing secondary pitches has been the burly 24-year-old reliever’s annual challenge.

“It’s about growing the other pitches, learning about the other pitches,” Graterol said through an interpreter. “Obviously the fastball is there. Now it’s about growing with the other pitches.”

Graterol’s best secondary pitch has been a cutter he started throwing in 2021 – and it is a legacy pitch in the Dodgers’ bullpen. Graterol was first introduced to the cutter by former Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen who rode his version of the pitch to the franchise saves record.

“Kenley was the one that originally helped me throw the pitch, taught me the pitch,” Graterol said. “He was more teaching me where to throw it, not so much the grip. (Walker) Buehler was the one who taught me the grip. Kenley was the one who taught me where to locate it.”

But Graterol’s cutter averaged 95.6 mph last season, not much slower than his sinking fastball. Finding an offspeed pitch with more separation from his fastball has been more difficult for Graterol.

“There’s a velocity differential that we’re looking for,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “When he’s on the mound, everything is hard. So if you can have something to slow the hitter down and get them off the fastball and cutter, it’s just upside.

“With Brusdar, he’s been searching for that breaking ball and the shape of it.”

Graterol has thrown a slider since coming to the majors with the Minnesota Twins in 2019. But he has de-emphasized it with the Dodgers and threw it a career-low 18% of the time last season. This spring, he has been “trying to grow that pitch” with assistant pitching coach Connor McGuiness.

The emphasis, Graterol said, has been making the slider look like a strike – “be more on the plate with that pitch” – so that hitters can’t easily dismiss it.

“I throw fastballs really hard. With the slider, I don’t always get the rotation I’m looking for because I’m so focused on throwing the fastball as hard as I can,” Graterol said. “So the slider rotation isn’t quite as good or where I want it to be right now.”

Armed with his 100-mph fastball and an arsenal that includes an effective cutter and breaking ball, Graterol’s surprisingly low strikeout rate (7.2 per nine innings in his career) would no doubt increase – and he would profile as the quintessential closer, a role Graterol has said in the past he would like to fill someday. There is a vacancy there in this year’s version of the Dodgers’ bullpen but Graterol said he is not focused on that.

“I don’t want that to be a chip on my shoulder or a motivating factor. I think there’s a lot of really good arms on this team,” he said. “My motivation is to be really good and dominate. That doesn’t necessarily mean I have to be the guy in the ninth inning. I just have to be really good and help the team win and dominate whenever I get the ball.”

STONE COLD
Dodgers pitching prospect Gavin Stone has made nothing but positive impressions in his first big-league camp – and that’s even when he doesn’t pitch.

Players who aren’t in the day’s Cactus League game can leave early (usually after five innings). But Roberts said Stone has been in the dugout for every inning of every home game this spring.

“For a young player, especially a pitcher, just to sit there and watch games on days he’s not participating is telling,” Roberts said.

Stone struck out eight in three scoreless innings Sunday. He hasn’t allowed a run in 6⅔ Cactus League innings, striking out 14 while allowing five hits and walking two.

“It just gives me confidence. I feel like that’s key to being a good pitcher, having confidence on the mound,” Stone said of his Cactus League success. “If you don’t exude confidence then hitters are going to have better at-bats. So that’s just my main focus to stay as confident as possible on the mound, because if I throw my stuff, then I know my stuff is better than their stuff.”