The Los Angeles Dodgers just activated left-hander Kris Bubic off the 60-day injured list, bringing back a serious arm acquired from the Kansas City Royals at the August 3 trade deadline. Bubic, who made the All-Star team in 2025 as a starting pitcher, has been sidelined since mid-May with elbow soreness, and later dealt with shoulder soreness during his rehab stint.
Bubic’s Rehab Numbers Tell a Story
This guy is coming back hot. In six rehab appearances for Triple-A Oklahoma City, Bubic didn’t allow a single run in 5 2/3 innings. He was locked in, giving up only two singles and two walks while striking out nine of the 21 batters he faced, an insane 42.9-percent strikeout rate. To top it off, he checked off all the usual reliever boxes last week, pitching on back-to-back days last Wednesday and Thursday, and then pitching in parts of two innings, going 1 1/3 innings on Sunday. That kind of performance after a long layoff is a huge shot in the arm.
Roster Shuffle: Gervase Down, Ward Out
To make room for Bubic on the active roster, Paul Gervase was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Gervase had only been called up on Monday, but didn’t even get into either of the last two games. Tough break for him, especially with Tarik Skubal and Yoshinobu Yamamoto both throwing seven scoreless innings in their starts. On the 40-man roster side, Ryan Ward was designated for assignment to open up Bubic’s spot. Ward was added to the 40-man last November, making his major league debut in April this season at 28 years old. He played in 20 games across two stints with the Dodgers, hitting .218/.283/.455 with three home runs, four doubles, and 12 RBI in 60 plate appearances. Down in Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he won Pacific Coast League MVP in 2025 and was in his fourth season, Ward was hitting .249/.349/.429 with 18 homers in 105 games. He even started as designated hitter in Wednesday’s day game for Oklahoma City in El Paso, but was pinch-hit for in the sixth inning to get this move done.
So, the Dodgers roll into the rest of the season with an All-Star arm back in the mix. Bubic’s return could be a major factor in how they finish things out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by True Blue LA.
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