The Bazooka is back!

As promised by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts during his daily Zoom media briefings over the past couple of days, 22-year-old right-hander Brusdar Graterol has been activated and added to the 26-man roster, and 25-year-old left-hander Alex Vesia, who was activated yesterday as a ‘just in case’ piece in the Dodgers heavily-taxed bullpen, optioned back to the team’s alternate training site.

“We’re going to option Alex Vesia and then we’re going to activate Brusdar, and he’ll be available today,” Roberts said on Sunday morning.

Although Vesia has yet to make his MLB debut with the Dodgers, he appeared in five games with the Miami Marlins in 2020, with a less-than-stellar 0-1 record and lofty 18.69 ERA. That said, he pitched only 4.1 innings with the Marlins, walking seven and striking out five.

As Dodgers fans know, Graterol made his MLB debut with the Dodgers last season and immediately became a fan favorite for his (now famous) show of emotions. In the 23 games in which he appeared in 2020 (two starts), he posted a 1-2 record and a respectable 3.09 ERA in his combined 23.1 innings pitched during the regular season, with 13 strikeouts and three walks. He also appeared in nine postseason games for the Dodgers, including three of the five World Series games. He did not allow a run and gave up only three hits in his combined 2.0 innings pitched during the Fall Classic.

Play Ball!

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