Former A’s Reliever Gets World Series Shot After Dodgers’ Roster Surprise

Apr 28, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of an Los Angeles Dodgers player durng a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images | John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The World Series is here, and the rosters have been announced. While Toronto's inclusion of Bo Bichette wasn't a big shocker, the Los Angeles Dodgers made a surprising addition to the roster, adding former A's right-hander Will Klein to the bullpen mix.

The Dodgers removed both RHP Ben Casparius and LHP Alex Vesia from their NLCS roster, adding Klein and Edgardo Henriquez in their places.

Klein, 25, has yet to make his postseason debut, and will presumably be used if the club is either winning or losing by a wide margin. He tossed 15 1/3 innings with the Dodgers this season, posting an impressive 2.35 ERA with a less-than-sterling 1.57 WHIP.

The right-hander struck out 21 batters in those 15 1/3 innings of work, but he also walked ten batters and gave up 14 hits. He hasn't pitched in the big leagues in nearly a month, last making an appearance on September 26, walking one and striking out one across 1 2/3 scoreless innings of work.

Sep 20, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Will Klein (61) delivers during the eighth inning against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

The A's had acquired Klein from the Kansas City Royals as a piece of the Lucas Erceg deal back in 2024, and after a quick stint with the club he was optioned back to Triple-A and remained there through the end of the season. With the A's, he lasted 1 2/3 innings across three appearances, walking four and giving up five earned runs with just two hits allowed and notching one strikeout.

Overall, he held an 11.05 ERA in 7 1/3 innings of work between the Royals and A's last season. That led to the A's designating him for assignment in January when they signed José Leclerc. The veteran righty ended up tossing just 9.0 innings with the A's and posting a 6.00 ERA before landing on the IL at the end of April with a right lat strain that ended his season.

The A's would likely want that move back.

Aug 3, 2024; Oakland, California, USA; Oakland Athletics pitcher Will Klein (64) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the sixth inning at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Robert Edwards-Imagn Images | Robert Edwards-Imagn Images

Yet, after he was DFA'd, hed didn't go straight to the Dodgers. Instead, it was the Seattle Mariners that snatched him in a deal for cash considerations. He'd spend the first half of the season in the minors for Seattle, only to be traded to Los Angeles for Joe Jacques, who has now elected free agency and signed with the New York Mets.

Klein still has one of the hardest fastballs in baseball, averaging 97.9 miles per hour, which ranks in the 94th percentile. The biggest difference between his time with the A's and Royals is that with LA, he's added a cutter, and turned his slider into a sweeper. So now he has four pitches instead of three, and has changed the profile of his breaking ball.

The cutter is still new and appears to be a work in progress. He threw a total of 50 of them this season, good for 16.4% of his pitch mix. It was also the offering that most often resulted in a hit, with seven coming against the cutter, and six off the four-seamer.

While former A's trade acquisition Will Klein has made the roster, Esteury Ruiz was not as lucky. The Dodgers still boast three former A's on the roster, including Klein, Max Muncy (the first) and Blake Treinen.