Casparius recorded the final out in Sunday's 3-0 win over Tampa Bay to earn his second save of the season.
The Dodgers initially turned to Blake Treinen in the ninth inning, though he was able to record only two outs while allowing a hit and a pair of walks. Casparius was then called upon with the bases loaded, where he'd retire Yandy Diaz for his second save this year, both of which have come in the past 10 days. The 26-year-old Casparius should remain firmly in LA's ninth-inning mix due to Treinen struggling and both Kirby Yates (back) and Tanner Scott (elbow) being on the IL.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Secures first career save
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Casparius gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his first career save in a 5-2 win over the Red Sox. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
The right-hander got checked out for a calf injury after a shaky appearance Tuesday, but Casparius was thrust right into a high-leverage spot after an MRI came back clean and got the job done on 19 pitches (12 strikes). With Tanner Scott (elbow) and Blake Treinen (forearm) currently on the shelf, late-inning roles in the Dodgers' bullpen are wide open, and Casparius appears to be in the mix for closing opportunities along with Alex Vesia and Kirby Yates. It wouldn't be a surprise if additional competition arrived at the trade deadline, however.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: MRI comes back negative
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An MRI on Casparius' right calf came back negative Wednesday, Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Casparius first felt his calf cramping while warming up prior to an appearance in Tuesday's 10-7 loss to the Twins and he was pulled after letting four straight batters reach base. While he doesn't have any structural damage and is expected to avoid the 15-day injured list, Casparius is likely to be unavailable to pitch for a few days.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Exits with trainer
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Casparius was removed from Tuesday's game against the Twins due to an apparent hamstring injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Casparius allowed four consecutive batters to reach base after entering the game in the sixth inning. He grabbed at his right hamstring before calling for a trainer and was removed from the game without recording an out. More information on his status should come once the Dodgers are able to take a closer look at him.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Works in relief Wednesday
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Casparius notched a hold against Milwaukee on Wednesday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over 1.2 scoreless innings.
Casparius got into a game for the first time since July 4, when he tossed three innings against Houston as a starter. Prior to that he had been working on a starter's schedule as a bulk reliever, but Wednesday's outing came in a traditional bullpen role. That appears to be Casparius' role moving forward, as Los Angeles' rotation is beginning to get healthy -- Tyler Glasnow returned from the IL and started Wednesday, while Blake Snell (shoulder) is scheduled to begin a minor-league rehab stint Thursday. Casparius had also struggled in his previous four outings, allowing 17 earned runs over 15.2 frames during that span, so Wednesday's effective relief appearance was a positive step toward getting back on track.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Friday that Casparius will probably be returning to the bullpen Sonja Chen of MLB.com reports.
Casparius has been working either as a primary pitcher behind an opener or as a traditional starter since mid-June, but he's struggled of late, posting a 9.77 ERA with a 1.79 WHIP over his past four outings spanning 15.2 frames. He yielded six runs over three innings against the Astros on Friday, which may have been the tipping point in terms of the Dodgers' decision to move him back to the bullpen. However, that transition may have been coming regardless of Casparius' results, as the team's decimated rotation is beginning to get healthy -- Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) is expected to return next week, and Blake Snell (shoulder) is nearing a rehab assignment. Los Angeles also has Emmet Sheehan as starting pitching depth in the minors, and he could be called up to start against the Astros on Sunday.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Hit hard in loss
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Casparius (6-3) allowed six runs on nine hits and struck out three over three innings to take the loss versus the Astros on Friday.
Casparius had made his last two appearances as a bulk reliever behind Shohei Ohtani. His return to a starting role didn't go any better than his last turn out of the bullpen, as the Astros tagged Casparius for three home runs. He's now yielded seven long balls on the year while adding a 4.68 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 57:12 K:BB across 59.2 innings through 26 appearances (three starts). Casparius continues to provide multi-inning abilities for the Dodgers as they put together a patchwork solution for their rotation. With Tyler Glasnow (shoulder) nearing a return and Emmet Sheehan expected to be called up to pitch Sunday, it seems like Casparius is on borrowed time to stay in the rotation.
Casparius is expected to pitch in some capacity Friday versus the Astros, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Casparius last pitched Saturday against the Royals when he was tagged with a loss after giving up six runs on eight hits and a walk over four innings while operating as the bulk reliever behind Shohei Ohtani. It's unclear if Casparius will draw the start Friday or come out of the bullpen, but he'll look to get the sour taste out of his mouth from his last outing. The 26-year-old has posted a 3.97 ERA and 1.13 WHIP with 54 punchouts over 25 appearances, including two starts, with the Dodgers in 2025.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Takes loss in bulk relief
Rotowire
Casparius (6-2) took the loss against the Royals on Saturday, allowing six runs on eight hits and one walk with four strikeouts over four innings.
Casparius generated an impressive 13 whiffs on 85 pitches but was ultimately undone by a four-run fifth inning. While he entered the outing with back-to-back wins, the 26-year-old has now allowed 11 earned runs over 12.2 innings in three consecutive appearances working behind Shohei Ohtani. Casparius carries a 3.97 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 54:12 K:BB across 56.2 innings this season and could pitch behind Ohtani again in a home matchup with the Astros next weekend.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Pitching behind Ohtani again
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Casparius is scheduled to pitch in bulk relief behind starter Shohei Ohtani in Saturday's game in Kansas City, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Ohtani will make his third start as a pitcher Saturday, but the Dodgers have been managing the two-way star's workload carefully coming off his September 2023 Tommy John surgery. The right-hander has covered exactly one inning in both of his prior two starts, with Casparius working behind him on both occasions. Between those outings, Casparius has picked up a pair of wins while allowing five earned runs on eight hits and two walks over 8.2 innings. The Dodgers haven't specified how long Ohtani will work Sunday, but assuming he doesn't cover more than two or three innings, Casparius will still be well positioned to earn a win if the Dodgers are able to defeat the Royals. Ohtani is expected to eventually be ready to handle a traditional starter's workload, but he and Casparius seem likely to work in tandem for at least a couple more turns through the rotation.
Casparius (6-1) picked up the win Sunday against Washington, allowing three runs on five hits and one walk with two strikeouts over five innings.
Casparius followed Shohei Ohtani for a second consecutive outing and completed five frames for the first time this season. All of the damage against Casparius came with one swing of the bat when Nathaniel Lowe launched a three-run home run in the third inning. In his last three outings, Casparius has allowed six runs with a 6:4 K:BB over 12.2 innings. He's in line to make his next appearance against Kansas City, though he may follow Ohtani again.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Set to follow Ohtani again
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Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said that Casparius will "most likely" work in bulk relief behind Shohei Ohtani on Sunday against the Nationals, Matthew Moreno of DodgerBlue.com reports.
Though Ohtani made his first appearance on the mound since August 2023 in Monday's game, he wasn't fully built up and tossed 28 pitches as a one-inning opener. Casparius was the second reliever into the contest after Anthony Banda and covered 3.2 innings en route to his fifth win of the season. Ohtani should be stretched out a bit more Sunday, but Casparius once again profiles as the Dodgers pitcher most likely to qualify for a win, making him an appealing streaming option against a Nationals squad that has stumbled to a 2-15 record thus far in June.
Casparius (5-1) was credited with a victory against San Diego on Monday, allowing two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.
Shohei Ohtani made his much-anticipated Dodgers debut as a pitcher Monday, pushing Casparius to bulk relief after manager Dave Roberts mentioned last week that the 26-year-old would be moving into the rotation. Ohtani went just one inning, however, and Casparius got the call with two outs in the second frame following a brief outing by Anthony Banda. Casparius surrendered an RBI double to Xander Bogaerts in the fourth inning and a solo homer to Manny Machado in the sixth, but he pitched well enough to notch the victory. It's not yet clear how Roberts will manage Casparius' outings moving forward -- there's still a chance the right-hander will get an opportunity to function as a traditional starter soon, but he'll likely work in bulk relief until Ohtani has enough starts under his belt to serve as more than an opener.
