LOS ANGELES -- Initial fears that Dodgers reliever Brusdar Graterol's season could be over might have been premature.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday the team got "good news" in a follow-up MRI that revealed Graterol sustained a Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring, the least severe of all.
Roberts was initially under the impression that Graterol's strain was Grade 3, when the muscle tears completely off the bone.
"Obviously, we're going to go through the process of resting it, rehabbing it, and we're just going to go on [how he's feeling], see how we can build him back up," Roberts said, adding that he is "hopeful" Graterol will return "at some point in time this year."
Graterol, 25, had spent the entire season rehabbing a shoulder injury and finally made it back to the mound Tuesday in the sixth inning of the Dodgers' 114th game. But as soon as he fired his eighth pitch, Graterol grabbed the back of his right leg and eventually had to be helped off the field.
Graterol was clearly emotional as he made his way back into the dugout and was consoled by teammates at his locker after a 6-2 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Dodgers feared the worst then. And though Graterol might still not pitch this season -- the postseason starts in 7½ weeks, and Graterol would need a longer buildup than normal because he has barely pitched this year -- there is at least hope.
"Obviously, you could see with his emotion that he probably felt that was going to be the season for him," Roberts said. "But with what we've gathered, the information, there is a sense of relief and some optimism."