The Los Angeles Dodgers will play in the MLB Tokyo Series, starting March 18. This means the start of the regular season for the Dodgers is less than two weeks away. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke with the media Wednesday and provided some insight on how the team’s bullpen may look when the team breaks camp.
Roberts noted there’s a good chance that right-handed pitcher Ben Casparius may make the team as a middle reliever, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
The Dodgers drafted Casparius in the fifth round of the 2021 MLB draft. The 6’2″ right-handed Casparius was drafted out of the University of Connecticut. The 26-year-old made his big-league debut in late August of 2024 and logged eight innings with 12 punchouts for the Dodgers down the stretch. Casparius turned in four scoreless innings in the NLCS against the New York Mets. The former UConn Huskies star started Game 4 of the World Series against the New York Yankees, recording two innings of work.
“I was just excited to go out there,” Casparius said of starting in the Fall Classic, via David Borges of CT Insider.
Casparius still holds rookie eligibility in the 2025 season and ranks as the 14th prospect in the Dodgers’ system. MLB.com’s scouting report on Casparius broke down the righty’s pitch repertoire.
“Casparius’ money pitch is a mid-80s slider that has quality horizontal and vertical break, and he also can morph it into an upper-80s cutter that has been clocked up to 94 mph, the report read. “His fastball has only modest carry and armside run but played better when he added velocity last season, and he now operates at 94-96 mph and touches 99.”
The Los Angeles bullpen is fairly solid. Back in January, the Dodgers signed lefty Tanner Scott to be their closer. Kirby Yates signed with the Dodgers this offseason as well. If Casparius does make the MLB roster, he will join Scott and Yates, as well as fellow relievers Blake Treinen and Alex Vesia.
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