Michael Grove

Michael Alexander Grove (born December 18, 1996) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He was drafted by the Dodgers in the second round of the 2018 MLB draft out of West Virginia University and he made his MLB debut in 2022.

Amateur career Grove played hockey, baseball and football at Wheeling Park High School in West Virginia. He then played college baseball at West Virginia University. As a sophomore in 2017, he had a 2.87 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 47 innings before his season ended because of an arm injury. He underwent Tommy John surgery in May 2017.

Professional career Los Angeles Dodgers Despite the injury, Grove was selected in the second round of the 2018 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, though he did not play in a professional game until 2019 when he made 21 starts for the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. The 2020 season minor league season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Grove was added to the player pool and trained at the alternate site at the University of Southern California. He played in 21 games for the Tulsa Drillers in 2021, where he was 1–4 with a 7.86 ERA in 21 games (19 starts). After beginning the 2022 season with Tulsa, Grove was promoted to the major leagues to make his debut as the starting pitcher against the Philadelphia Phillies on May 15, 2022. He pitched innings in his debut, allowing four hits while walking three and striking out three. Four unearned runs scored off him and his first MLB strikeout was of Alec Bohm. On September 25, Grove picked up his first major league win against the St. Louis Cardinals. He made seven appearances in the majors, making six starts with one relief appearance. He allowed 15 earned runs in innings for a 4.60 ERA. He also pitched in 19 games (17 starts) in the minors between Tulsa and the Triple-A Oklahoma City Dodgers, with a 1–5 record and 3.79 ERA. He suffered a shoulder injury in that game and was removed from the postseason roster.

Grove underwent right shoulder labrum surgery during spring training before the 2025 season, and it was announced that he would miss the entire season while recovering. He was removed from the 40-man roster and sent outright to Triple-A Oklahoma City on November 6, 2025. Grove elected free agency the same day.

Tampa Bay Rays On April 14, 2026, Grove signed a major league contract with the Tampa Bay Rays; he was subsequently placed on the 15-day in injured list due to his continued recovery from surgery. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on April 20. On June 21, Grove was activated and optioned to the Triple-A Durham Bulls.