Will Klein, other Dodgers playoff heroes eye roster spots

PHOENIX –– In the middle of their Camelback Ranch clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, the Dodgers laid out a stack of shirts commemorating their 18-inning victory in Game 3 of last year’s World Series.

Across the front of the blue tees, the four heroes of the game were displayed: Teoscar Hernández, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and, yes, Will Klein.

“It’s kind of been like a 180,” Klein joked about how much his life has changed since that night. “You can see the social media, fan stuff. But just on the personal side, there’s more confidence. Seeing myself do that kind of built a foundation to keep going.”

Indeed, when Klein arrived at spring training last week, he found himself in a peculiar spot: A postseason legend on one hand, after throwing four scoreless innings as the last man standing in the Dodgers’ bullpen during that marathon Game 3 triumph; but also, a fringe roster candidate on the team’s loaded pitching staff, trying to parlay his brief moment of playoff glory into a more established big-league job.

In this boat, Klein is not alone.

Entering camp, several other standouts from last year’s World Series run also found themselves battling for roster spots –– including Justin Wrobleski, the left-handed swingman who pitched five scoreless innings in last year’s World Series, and Edgardo Henriquez, the hard-throwing right-hander who provided two scoreless innings in Game 3 of the Fall Classic.

A week ago, all of their roles for 2026 seemed uncertain.

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But now, injuries elsewhere on the roster are giving them renewed opportunities.

In the bullpen, the Dodgers will start this season missing several key arms. Evan Phillips is recovering from Tommy John surgery and won’t be back until midseason. Brock Stewart is recovering from a shoulder surgery he had in September and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. Brusdar Graterol was also ruled out for the start of the campaign on Wednesday, with manager Dave Roberts saying the team is keeping him on “an intentionally slow build-up” process as he returns from a 2025 season lost to his own shoulder procedure.

Suddenly, there is a lane for Klein and Henriquez to not only make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster but also serve potentially important roles in the early part of the season.

After closer Edwin Díaz, the team’s next-best righty reliever is veteran Blake Treinen, who is coming off a career-worst season in 2025.

Roberts voiced optimism in Treinen bouncing back this year, saying the 37-year-old still has “a lot in the tank” and that his early spring bullpens have been “as good as I’ve seen him throw the baseball in a while.”

Still, the Dodgers will need more right-handed depth. Ben Casparius figures to be part of the solution, having transitioned to a full-time relief role this year. But Klein (who had a 5.16 ERA in 22 career MLB appearances before last year’s playoffs) and Henriquez (a 2.42 ERA in 25 career outings prior to last October) might now have a pathway to more impact contributions themselves.

“I’m still the same guy, like I need to work and earn a spot and all that,” Klein said. “But on the mound, in games, there’s a little bit more (confidence) than I’ve had in the past. Like, I know I can do all this. I’ve seen myself do 10 times harder stuff.”

Wrobleski has an opening of his own this spring. Five weeks from Opening Day, the Dodgers are already facing several rotation questions, with Blake Snell taking things slow after last year’s shoulder injury and Ohtani facing a build-up that will be complicated by his participation in next month’s World Baseball Classic.

Thus, the Dodgers will look for extra starting depth this spring –– giving the 25-year-old Wrobleski, who was needed more in relief duty last season but is still seen as a high-upside starter long term, the chance to compete for a potential rotation spot.

Last season, Wrobleski’s two starts did not go well. He gave up eight runs over five innings in a dispiriting outing in Washington in April. He was tagged with four more runs in a six-inning loss to the Cardinals two months later.

After that, however, the left-hander found success in the bullpen, pitching to a 3.17 ERA over his final 25 appearances (including the playoffs) while showcasing an uptick in velocity and command.

“I think his ability to grow and mature and learn how to harness his stuff and compete in those moments will serve him well as he tries to navigate a lineup two, three times,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “So he’ll certainly be a candidate (to pitch in the rotation).”

It’s all part of the Dodgers’ ever-changing roster puzzle this spring, in which even old October saviors are having to compete to carve out their roster spots.