The Los Angeles Dodgers have been no stranger to the injury bug this season, and Tuesday night offered another scare. Right-hander Ben Casparius became the latest Dodgers pitcher to leave a game early, limping off the field during a rocky sixth inning in a 10-7 loss to the Minnesota Twins. But after a brief wave of panic, the Dodgers got reassuring news on Wednesday.
Casparius Limped Off the Mound—But Dodged Serious Injury
Support Our Fight To End Fall Weddings
Casparius was clearly in visible discomfort during his outing. After allowing one hit and walking three batters without recording an out, he was seen shaking his right leg and grimacing before being removed from the game. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts later clarified the issue: a right calf cramp.
The 26-year-old reliever had been warming up when he first noticed something was off.
“I would say the last couple pitches of warmups, I kind of felt my foot give a little bit, like a Charley horse feeling, clenched up,” Casparius said after the game. “And then I’d say pretty early on in the outing. I’m hoping unbearable cramps, but we’re going to see I guess.”
MRI Results Come Back Clean
Fortunately, the Dodgers received encouraging news on Wednesday: Casparius’ MRI results came back negative. There’s no structural damage in his leg, and he’s not expected to hit the injured list.
“Things came back negative,” Casparius told reporters Wednesday morning. “So for me, I think it was kind of the foot discomfort that bled into the calf a little bit and up toward the top of my knee. I’m kind of fortunate for that, but I’m still in a little bit of pain.”
Roberts echoed the relief, saying the team expects Casparius to rejoin them on the road soon, likely in time for Friday’s series opener against the Boston Red Sox.
A Reliever Pushing Through the Pain
Casparius admitted he tried to pitch through the discomfort—something he now thinks may have worsened the issue.
“I think the soreness is probably from pushing through the cramp a little bit more than I would’ve wanted to,” he said. “Kind of a tough spot. I think I got to a point where I was worried about it being irreversible for the season or something that might sideline me for the rest of the year.”
“But I was bummed to put the team in that spot. Just a situation where I didn’t necessarily know what to do. Maybe it could’ve been avoided if I said something earlier.”
He added that while he’s had cramps before in his career, this one felt more severe and affected more of his leg than usual—extending from the foot into the calf and near the knee.
No IL, But Likely a Few Days Off
While a stint on the 15-day injured list appears unnecessary, Casparius will likely be unavailable for the next couple of games. In preparation for that possibility, the Dodgers brought Jack Little onto the taxi squad in case a roster move became necessary.
“I think I’m just going to need a couple days to get back on track,” Casparius said. “That’s kind of tentative right now, so we’ll kind of see going forward what we’re going to do. I don’t know the full plan yet.”
Injuries Continue to Mount for L.A. Dodgers
The scare around Casparius comes amid a string of early-season setbacks for the defending World Series champions. Blake Snell, Blake Treinen, and rookie phenom Roki Sasaki have all missed time, and longtime ace Clayton Kershaw didn’t debut until well into the season due to his ongoing knee issues.
Still, the Dodgers remain in steady hands atop the rotation with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who leads the team with 125 strikeouts, and Shohei Ohtani, who made two-way history this week by hitting a home run and starting on the mound in the same game.
Casparius, for his part, has contributed a 7-4 record with 60 strikeouts in 2025—solid production from a bullpen that has already been tested by injuries. And while Tuesday’s outing didn’t go as planned, the right-hander avoided the worst-case scenario.