BREAKING NEWS Injury-stricken Los Angeles Dodgers trade for pitcher Will Klein after Evan Phillips was ruled out for season
A reinforcement arrived Monday, but it was a surprising name as the World Series holders acquired right-hander Will Klein in a trade with the Seattle Mariners, sending minor league left-hander Joe Jacques the other way.
Klein, 25, has eight career major league appearances, all last season for the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics when he had an 11.05 ERA in 7 1/3 innings of relief. He had a 7.17 ERA in 22 appearances at Triple-A Tacoma this season.
Those numbers might not spark huge excitement among the fanbase of the World Series winners, especially with their bullpen besieged by injuries at present.
Last Friday, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced that reliever Evan Phillips was ruled out until deep into 2026 with an elbow issue that requires Tommy John surgery.
'It's surprising,' Roberts said, shortly before his team played the New York Yankees. 'More disappointed for Evan, but he just wasn't responding to the rest and then [trying] to ramp back up.
'Ultimately, that was kind of the advice and the route he decided to go.'
The Dodgers added Klein and right-hander Ryan Loutos to the active roster in advance of Monday's series opener at home against the New York Mets, while right-hander Noah Davis was optioned to the minor leagues and right-hander Chris Stratton was designated for assignment.
Loutos, 26, was recalled after he had one appearance with the Dodgers earlier this season, when he gave up two runs in one inning. He had three appearances with the St. Louis Cardinals last season and has a career 5.40 ERA in 3 1/3 innings.
Davis, 28, had a 5.79 ERA in four relief appearances with the Dodgers this season, while Stratton, 34, had a 6.00 ERA in two relief appearances for Los Angeles.
Jacques, 30, is 2-1 with a 5.46 ERA and one save in 25 career games (one start) with the Boston Red Sox (2023-24) and Arizona Diamondbacks (2024).
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