Hudson placed on IL with torn left ACL

ATLANTA -- Dodgers reliever Daniel Hudson was placed on the injured list Saturday afternoon with a torn left ACL, an injury he sustained in the eighth inning of a 4-1 win over the Braves on Friday night at Truist Park.

“It doesn’t look good from all indications,” manager Dave Roberts said on Friday night. “Things can happen, but I just don’t see how it’s not the end of his season. So it’s potentially a huge loss for us.”

Hudson sustained the injury as he and catcher Will Smith tracked down a dribbler off the bat of Ronald Acuña Jr. Hudson’s left knee bent awkwardly when he stepped off the mound. After spending a few minutes on the ground holding the knee, Hudson limped off the field with the training staff.

The loss of Hudson is another massive hit to the Dodgers’ bullpen. Blake Treinen has been out for two months with a right shoulder injury, and his return date is unclear. Tommy Kahnle, who was expected to replace Treinen in the setup role, is out for several months as he deals with ongoing right forearm issues.

In Treinen and Kahnle’s absences, Hudson had stepped up as Los Angeles' most consistent and reliable reliever. In 25 appearances this season, Hudson has a 2.22 ERA. He's recorded five saves, but most of his work has come against the opposing team’s middle of the order.

“Huddy’s a guy that we count on in a lot of different ways,” Roberts said. “On the field, one of the leaders in the clubhouse, always doing the right thing, saying the right thing. And obviously with Blake down, we’ve relied heavily on him in leverage spots. To not have him with us, there’s an exponential effect to our ballclub. But we've got to move forward.”

Brusdar Graterol replaced Hudson and induced a crucial inning-ending double play against Braves third baseman Austin Riley. Graterol, however, won’t be the only replacement for Hudson. The Dodgers will count on Graterol, Evan Phillips and Yency Almonte to step into more prominent roles.

While all three have the pure stuff to handle the tough assignments, none of them have done it for an extended period of time.

Hudson joins a large group of impact players currently on the injured list. Mookie Betts and Walker Buehler are the biggest names, but role players such as Edwin Ríos and Andrew Heaney -- who was placed on the IL for a second time on Friday -- have also been instrumental to the team’s success this season.

As they have done all season, the Dodgers will rely on their depth. But replacing Hudson won’t be an easy task.