Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol has been putting in work this offseason after missing much of 2024 and all of last year due to injury.
The right-handed reliever has been working out two or three times each day and is down about 20 pounds, he told Dodgers Nation’s Doug McKain.
“I lost a few pounds, like 20 pounds right now, so I feel great,” he said.
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Graterol is listed at 265 pounds by ESPN, but he said he was up to “280, 285,” and starting to get back into shape was hard.
“The first three weeks, to lose a lot of pounds … It’s so hard, I can’t walk or breathe, I can’t sleep very well. One day, I said, you know what, let me change my physical. And now I feel way better,” he said.
Oct 30, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Brusdar Graterol (48) pitches during the sixth inning against the New York Yankees in game four of the 2024 MLB World Series at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
He added that this wasn’t a decision he made at the team’s urging; rather, he was self-motivated to lose the weight.
“I’m so proud of what I did with my body,” he told McKain.
He also credited his family with helping motivate him to get better.
“Never give up, always stay strong,” he said. “Thank God my wife, my mom, my daughter were there next to me to push me, keep my head up.”
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Graterol Hopes to Regain Form in 2026
Before missing large stretches of 2024 and all of last season, Graterol had been a solid reliever for the Dodgers.
In 2023, he appeared in 68 games and notched a 1.20 ERA with 48 strikeouts.
Over the entirety of his career, he boasts a 2.78 ERA, though in the postseason, that figure drops to 1.85.
Three-peat Would Give Graterol Four Championships
Graterol has been on the Dodgers since 2020, so he’s seen multiple championship teams during his tenure, which is now one of the longest on the team.
“I’m blessed to be here, every year, and thanks to the organization for the opportunity to wear the blue,” he said. “This team right now, we’re going to another level. We’re going to play the same baseball … We want to play hard every year.”