A native of Westport, Connecticut, Casparius joins outfielder George Springer (Toronto) and shortstop Nick Ahmed (Los Angeles Dodgers) as active players.
The Dodgers selected Casparius with their fifth-round pick (No. 162 overall) in 2021 and he received a $247,500 signing bonus, which was slightly under the $318,200 suggested value for that pick.
Ranked the No. 20 Dodgers prospect by Baseball America and No. 23 by MLBPipeline.com, he’s being developed as a starter, but fringe-average control and his reliance on secondary pitches means his future may ben in the bullpen. That’s also his likely role while he’s up with the big club for now.
He was promoted from double-A Tulsa on May 7 and has made 13 starts in AAA with a 3-3 record and a 3.54 ERA. He has 61 strikeouts to 29 walks in 56 innings with a .191 batting average against.
Casparius’s opportunity comes from a litany of injuries on the pitching staff, creating a need for bulk relievers in the Dodgers bullpen. Since Casparius is stretched out as a starter, he made sense to bring up.
The organization knew Shohei Ohtani wouldn’t be on the mound this year after Tommy John surgery, but there are five arms on the 60-day injured list with four more on the 15-day list. The rash of injuries has tested the team’s depth, which Casparius will fill in the short term.
