Dodgers News: Slew of Roster Moves Brings Back Kershaw, Vargas; Graterol to IL

The Dodgers make a bunch moves before the series finale against the Mets.

Wake me when September begins, it seems... Today, the Dodgers announced several roster moves ahead of their finale in Queens against the Mets.

The most important move involves the return of ace left-hander Clayton Kershaw, today's starting pitcher in New York. Additionally, as expected, the team added top minor league hitting prospect Miguel Vargas to the active roster.

With rosters expanding from 26 to 28 for September, both additions had no corresponding moves.

While those two players have been expected to join the roster, another wrinkle was added to the equation ahead of first pitch. The Dodgers placed right-handed reliever Brusdar Graterol on the injured list with forearm inflammation. In his place, the club recalled Phil Bickford from Triple-A Oklahoma City. 

Bickford had just been sent down a few days prior but did not have to wait the requisite 10 days since he's replacing an injured player. Graterol missed more than a month with a shoulder issue before returning to the roster on August 22nd. He made 4 appearances before his elbow started acting up. Bickford has struggled keeping runs off the board in 2022, entering play with a 5.04 ERA in 51 games this season.

#Dodgers have placed Brusdar Graterol on the IL with elbow inflammation. Was supposed to test it before game yesterday. Phil Bickford is recalled two days after being optioned. 1/2

— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) September 1, 2022

Back to Kershaw, the All-Star makes his first start in about a month after a back injury forced him to leave a August 4th game in San Francisco. By all accounts, he feels he could have been back sooner but the team took the cautious route in his ramp-up.

For Miguel Vargas, the star prospect returns to the roster with an eye on playing time in the postseason. He went 2-8 (.250) in 2 games earlier this season with LA. In 113 games at Triple-A, he's hit a robust .304 with a .915 OPS for the OKC Dodgers.