It was a rough night at the office for Ben Casparius as the Houston Astros increased his season ERA to 4.68. The 26-year-old struggled mightily in his last two starts as he’s given up 12 earned runs in his last seven innings of work.
With 17 hits given up in those seven innings, it’s no surprise to hear Dave Roberts is moving Casparius back to the bullpen.
Roberts Believes Casparius Will Return to Form Back in the Bullpen
While Casparius wasn’t a traditional starter, he’s one of those relievers that Roberts had faith could start the game and eat up a few innings. He did just that, but it came at a cost.
With the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting pitching depth being stretched as far as it possibly could be, Roberts recently gave a positive update on the likes of Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell.
Dave Roberts said Ben Casparius is going back to the bullpen.
“To kind of get him into the starter role was of need. He did that, but getting him back in the ‘pen, shortening him up, I think the stuff will play up a little bit more too.”
— Dodger Blue (@DodgerBlue1958) July 5, 2025
When talking about Casparius, he said, “To kind of get him into the starter role was of need. He did that, but getting him back in the ‘pen, shortening him up, I think the stuff will play up a little bit more too.”
Dating back to June 11, Casparius has an 8.24 ERA. He’s pitched in three or more innings in those five appearances, as he started three of those five games.
After picking up wins on June 16 and 22, Casparius carried a 6-1 record into his start on June 28. Things went downhill from there, even though he had given up five earned runs in those two winning appearances.
Ben Casparius has an 8.24 ERA for the Dodgers in five outings since being stretched out as a starter/bulk guy
After tonight’s game, Dave Roberts said he will likely shift back to the bullpen moving forward. Opens up a rotation spot for Emmet Sheehan to return from AAA
— Jack Harris (@ByJackHarris) July 5, 2025
Casparius had six straight scoreless appearances as he came out of the bullpen to start the season. He gave up just one hit in his first three innings and pitched six innings in his next three appearances.
The Chicago Cubs picked him apart on April 12, as he gave up six earned runs. After that game, his ERA inflated to 5.06, a number he was able to get down to 2.81 by May 5 as he picked up his first four wins of the season.
By June 3, Casparius had a 4-0 record with seven holds and a 2.54 ERA. That’s the lowest his ERA has been all season, as it’ll take some work to get back to that point. He’s thrown 50+ pitches in his last five games, a number he only hit once in his first 21 appearances.
That mark came in three and two-thirds innings against the Pittsburgh Pirates on April 27, a game where he struck out five and allowed just two hits.