Grove pitched three innings in relief against the Cubs on Friday, allowing three runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter.

EDGE Analysis

Grove has pitched more than an inning in three of his four appearances this season, with Friday's three-inning outing being his longest to date. He's mostly struggled in the early going, allowing at least three earned runs in all but one of his appearances thus far. Overall, Grove has an 11.74 ERA and 2.09 WHIP over 7.2 frames, and opponents are batting an astronomical .382 against him.

Grove is expected to open the season in a multi-inning relief role for the Dodgers, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Gavin Stone beat out Grove for the fifth spot in the Dodgers' rotation. The team is expected to use a six-man rotation, or at least a variation of one, and Grove figures to be in the mix there, perhaps in a bulk relief role. The Dodgers could just mix-and-match in the sixth spot until Walker Buehler (elbow) and/or Emmet Sheehan (shoulder) are ready.

Grove and Gavin Stone will travel with the Dodgers on their season-opening trip to Korea, and both remain in contention to be the team's No. 5 starter, Fabian Ardaya of The Athleticreports.

EDGE Analysis

Emmet Sheehan was originally in the running for the fifth-starter spot as well, but he'll open the season on the injured list due to a shoulder injury. Both Grove and Stone were excellent in their most recent Cactus League outings, with Grove tossing 3.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts Saturday and Stone following one day later with a scoreless four-inning, five-strikeout effort. However, Stone has had the better overall spring, yielding just one run over 9.2 frames with a 9:1 K:BB while Grove has given up six earned runs over eight innings with an 11:4 K:BB. With that in mind, Stone probably has the upper hand in the battle to be Los Angeles' fifth starter, though manager Dave Roberts said Monday that a decision on that role has not yet been made, per Ardaya.

Grove entered with two outs in the third inning of Tuesday's Cactus League game against the White Sox, though he's still being built up as a starter, Eric Stephen of SB Nation reports.

EDGE Analysis

It's not unusual for a starter to pitch in relief during spring training, but Grove's outing was noteworthy in that manager Dave Roberts told SportsNet LA's Kirsten Watson that the intention was for Grove to get more experience coming into the game in the middle of an inning. Watson also reported that the Dodgers are still building Grove up as a starter, though his role for the beginning of the campaign has yet to be decided. Los Angeles beefed up its rotation with the additions of Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and James Paxton in the offseason, so even with Walker Buehler (elbow) slated to begin the campaign on the injured list, there isn't a guaranteed spot in the Opening Day rotation for Grove. The right-hander made three late-September relief appearances last year and pitched five scoreless innings with a 6:1 K:BB while yielding just one hit in that span.

Grove is on the Dodgers' roster for the NLDS, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Despite holding an unimpressive 6.13 ERA on the season, Grove has been solid since coming back from the injured list Sept. 23. Since then, he's logged five scoreless innings and struck out six batters while walking one, helping him to beat out Ryan Yarbrough for a spot on the NLDS roster.

Grove allowed a walk and struck out three over two scoreless innings in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Giants.

EDGE Analysis

Grove worked the seventh and eighth innings and helped preserve the Dodgers' shutout. This was his fourth relief appearance in 16 outings this year, and it's likely he'll work out of the bullpen for the rest of the regular season as well as the postseason, assuming he is on the playoff roster. Grove has a 6.41 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 70:19 K:BB through 66 innings this season.

The Dodgers reinstated Grove (lat) from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Grove has been on the shelf since early August due to tightness in his right lat, and his return will force Gavin Stone off the major-league roster. The 26-year-old has pitched to a 6.61 ERA through 64 innings on the year, but manager Dave Roberts said Grove would be given "every opportunity" to compete for a spot on the Dodgers' playoff roster.

Grove (lat) is expected to be activated from the 15-day injured list Saturday, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

That's the word from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who added that Grove will be given "every opportunity" to earn a spot in the team's postseason bullpen mix. Out since early August due to a right lat injury, the 26-year-old struck out four of the five batters he faced in his third and final rehab appearance Wednesday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Grove (lat) might be able to return either Saturday or Sunday against the Giants, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

Grove has been recovering from a right lat injury and continues to inch closer toward activation. He was sent out on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 7 and could be cleared to return sometime over the weekend according to skipper Dave Roberts.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Grove (lat) could rejoin the team on its next homestand, per the Associated Press.

EDGE Analysis

Grove hasn't pitched for Los Angeles since Aug. 5, when he went 1.1 innings as an opener. The right-hander landed on the injured list the following day due to lat soreness and has made just one rehab appearance since, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out three batters for Triple-A Oklahoma City on Sept. 7. It's not clear what Grove has been doing to rehab since, but it appears that he could nonetheless return to the Dodgers, likely as a bullpen arm, as soon as Monday, when the team begins a seven-game homestand against Detroit and San Francisco.