Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Edgardo Henriquez was promoted from Triple-A Oklahoma City for his first opportunity at the Major League level.
Ben Casparius was optioned and the Dodgers transferred Gavin Stone to the 60-day injured list in order to make room for Henriquez on their active and 40-man rosters, respectively. The roster move ends Stone’s 2024 season.
Casparius is 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in two relief appearances for the Dodgers. Casparius made his MLB debut on Aug. 31 and last pitched for the team in the series finale against the Colorado Rockies.
He was among the Dodgers relief pitchers who followed a short outing by Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Casparius provided three big innings to help an overworked bullpen.
“Outside of Shohei (Ohtani), Ben Casparius was the MVP of today’s game,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the walk-off win.
“To put him in that situation after that first inning, where it was a lot of pitches and stressful, and to kind of reset by giving us two (more) innings and keep us in a ballgame, give us a chance to win, I can’t say enough about Ben working through it.
“I know (Dodgers pitching coach) Mark (Prior) had a mound visit with him, and at that point in time it seemed like it settled him in a little bit. From that point on, he was fantastic. Yoshinobu wasn’t sharp today, didn’t give us much as far as length, but Ben picked us up and the guys in the ‘pen that did throw, were fantastic.”
What to know about Edgardo Henriquez
Henriquez, 22, began the season pitching for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga. He then spent time with High-A Great Lakes before joining Double-A Tulsa in the middle of June.
Henriquez spent nearly two months with the Drillers, then was promoted to finish the Minor League season with the Oklahoma City Baseball Club.
The Venezuelan native was most dominant for the Quakes, albeit that was only over five games (all starts). Even as Henriquez was moved up the Dodgers farm system, he continued to hold his own against an increase in competition.
The right-hander went a combined 1-2 with a 2.72 ERA and 1.23 WHIP while collecting 88 strikeouts in 53 innings over 43 games (five starts) this season.
Henriquez possesses a fastball that exceeds 100 mph and pairs it with a sharp slider that sits in the mid-90s. He’s drawn comparisons to the likes of Francisco Rodriguez, Camilo Doval and Orion Kerkering, in a hard-throwing pitching prospect who has the potential to make a significant impact in the postseason.
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