The Los Angeles Dodgers added to their pitching depth at the trade deadline when they acquired Kris Bubic from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Minor League pitcher Carlos Duran.
The left-hander has now joined the Dodgers ahead of their series opener against the Cincinnati Reds, and manager Dave Roberts said Bubic could make his team debut as soon as Wednesday, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
So the Dodgers summoned rehabbing reliever Kris Bubic to join the big club Monday instead. Bubic is expected to pitch as soon as Wednesday, Roberts said.
Bubic is currently on the 60-day injured list, so the Dodgers will need to make corresponding moves on both their 40-man and active rosters in order to reinstate him.
Bubic has been a starting pitcher for most of his career, but the Dodgers are planning to use him out of the bullpen. His imminent arrival should provide some relief to a bullpen that is currently without Edwin Díaz, Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein.
Bubic threw 5.2 scoreless innings and allowed just two hits while recording nine strikeouts across six appearances during a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Bubic was an All-Star for the Royals in 2025 but has been limited to nine starts this season due to separate bouts of left elbow and shoulder soreness.
In parts of seven MLB seasons, Bubic owns a 22-38 record with a 4.14 ERA and 1.39 WHIP across 522 innings.
Kris Bubic happy to be with Dodgers
At the time of being traded to the Dodgers, Bubic said he was surprised by the move but happy to land with a contender.
“I kind of know where I’m at in my career, the rental status and all that, but obviously I hadn’t pitched in a little over two months when the deadline came,” Bubic began.
“So I was a little bit surprised. I knew it was going to be a team having to take a little bit of a flyer, given that I haven’t been on a big league mound in a little bit. But thankfully, obviously the Dodgers see some value that we can kind of tinker with here in the next few weeks and then provide any help I can down the stretch.
“It’s exciting. Like I said, seeing the success this organization has had as a whole, especially over the last few years, getting to play against some of these guys in previous years and now getting to be on this side is going to be pretty exciting.”
Have you subscribed to the Dodger Blue YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows and giveaways, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
