The Dodgers added Casparius to their NLCS roster Monday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Casparius spent the last few weeks of the regular season in the minors and was left off the Dodgers' roster for the first two rounds of the postseason, but he'll give manager Dave Roberts another bullpen arm for the NLCS. The 26-year-old collected a 4.64 ERA and 71:21 K:BB across 77.2 innings during his time with the big club this season.
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Dodgers' Ben Casparius: Sent to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Dodgers optioned Casparius to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday.
Casparius had been having a solid stretch since July 25 as he notched a 2.63 ERA across 13.2 innings in that span. However, he loses his spot on the active roster to Alex Vesia (oblique), who was activated from the 15-day injured list Tuesday.
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
Rotowire
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
Rotowire
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.
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
Rotowire
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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