The Los Angeles Dodgers lost another member of their bullpen on Sunday when Jack Dreyer was placed on the 15-day injured list due to left shoulder discomfort.
The roster move came two days after Dreyer’s most recent appearance. Paul Gervase was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City to take his spot in the Dodgers bullpen.
“He was warming up [Saturday] and felt something in his shoulder, some soreness. So we just wanted to be proactive,” manager Dave Roberts explained of the decision to put Dreyer on the IL. “Had a scan today, there was nothing relevant.
“Just some inflammation, which we had expected. But we want to be careful with him, so with that, put him on the IL and hope he gets back once the stint is up.”
Dreyer made his MLB debut last year and became an important member of the bullpen. The left-hander appeared in 67 games and logged 76.1 innings, the most Dreyer had pitched in his professional career.
That success earned him a spot on the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster this season. Dreyer continued to be heavily relied upon and leads all Dodgers relievers so far this year with 21.2 innings pitched.
Will Klein and Tanner Scott are tied for second on the team with 18.1 innings. Though, Klein’s total includes two innings as an opener in the first game of the Freeway Series.
“It’s not ideal,” Roberts said of the Dodgers losing Dreyer’s production. “But we will replace it.”
One potential pathway to the Dodgers picking up the slack for not having Dreyer — specifically with an ability to pitch multiple innings in an appearance — was checked off Sunday by acquiring Eric Lauer in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays.
The Dodgers’ initial plan is to have Lauer in their bullpen as a swingman. He’s expected to join the team at some point during their series against the San Diego Padres.
Keys to Jack Dreyer’s success
Dreyer’s 2026 ERA is 2.08, nearly a full run improvement from last season.
“He is using his curveball more, he throws to all different quadrants. He’s actually maybe a little bit better versus right than left,” Roberts said. “I always refer to that Rubik’s Cube. To be able to do a Rubik’s Cube in 25 seconds, you’ve got to have a good heartbeat. This dude has a good heartbeat, which I trust.
“We’re going to miss him for a couple weeks but expect a full recovery.”
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