The Los Angeles Dodgers won the 2024 World Series with three viable starting pitchers.
Unwilling to tempt fate this year, they reloaded their starting rotation this offseason, signing Japanese phenom Roki Sasaki and free agent Blake Snell. Problem solved, right? Not exactly.
Sasaki is experiencing the growing pains one would expect from most rookies in their first season in the big leagues. Snell is currently on the injured list with shoulder inflammation.
To make matters worse, Snell has stopped throwing and there is no timetable for his return. Fortunately for the Dodgers, relievers Ben Casparius and Jack Dreyer have stepped up and spelled relief out of the bullpen.
Dodgers Getting Bullpen Help from Surprise Sources
Déjà Vu All Over Again
The Dodgers are no stranger to having starting pitching injuries.
They threaded this same needle last year, and they constantly prove the point that you can never have enough starting pitching.
Landon Knack, Justin Wrobleski, and Bobby Miller have tried to fill the void, but with less-than-optimal results. Each has an ERA above five along with a high walk rate.
Thus, the bullpen has been used early and often. They have had to cover a lot of innings including an entire game on the latest road trip, a game that ended in a loss.
The Designated Long Man
Right-hander Ben Casparius played a pivotal role out of the bullpen for the Dodgers in their postseason run in 2024.
He was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City and ended up being the reliable bridge between the starters and the high-leverage arms last year.
Throughout the season, he posted a sub-3.00 ERA. Now, with Michael Grove missing the entire 2025 season due to shoulder surgery, Casparius has stepped in to fill the breach.
Aside from one bad outing against the Chicago Cubs, the right-hander has been exceptionally stingy. For example, in a second crack at the Cubs, the 26-year-old pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings serving as the opener of a bullpen game. He retired eight out of nine hitters striking out four. You can’t ask much more than that.
The Maytag Man
It is safe to say that without the injuries to relievers Evan Phillips and Michael Kopech, Jack Dreyer would not be on the Los Angeles roster.
However, the young rookie is making the most of his opportunity.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has praised the young pitcher and his cool demeanor on the mound. Despite his latest outing where he walked three and gave up four earned runs in just one inning.
It remains to be seen how he will bounce back. However, the right-hander wasn’t scored on in the previous nine appearances. As a result, he has climbed up Roberts’ trust tree. Dreyer has been used in increasingly high-leverage situations.
Reinforcements will be coming next week as Tony Gonsolin, who was set to be the number five starter in the rotation before tweaking a muscle in his back, is set to return.
Hopefully, this will give some relief to a Dodgers bullpen that has been called on a lot early this season. They will need fresh arms if they want to make it to October.
