The Dodgers added right-handers Kyle Hurt and Wyatt Mills to their bullpen tonight. They’ll take their roster spots from Will Klein, who was placed on the injured list, and Cole Irvin, who was designated for assignment. Hurt and Mills were already on the 40-man roster, so Irvin’s DFA gives L.A. an open spot on the 40-man for future use.
Irvin, 32, made 134 appearances for the Phillies, Athletics, Orioles, and Twins from 2019-24. He enjoyed the most success as a back-end starter for the A’s in 2021 and ’22, making 62 starts with a 4.11 ERA. During the 2024-25 offseason, the southpaw signed a deal with the KBO’s Doosan Bears. He was effective but unspectacular in 28 starts for the Bears, pitching to a 4.48 ERA with a high walk rate and roughly league-average strikeout numbers. That performance earned him a minor league contract from the Dodgers this past winter.
In 20 starts at Triple-A Oklahoma this year, Irvin posted a respectable 3.58 ERA, but his underlying numbers were concerning. He only struck out 12.4% of his minor league opponents, and his 6.16 xERA was high even for the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League. Nonetheless, in need of innings, the Dodgers gave Irvin the call on Friday when Brock Stewart hit the injured list. In his first MLB appearance in almost two years, Irvin threw six innings of relief, giving up six runs on eight hits. He took the loss. It surely wasn’t the comeback Irvin was hoping for, but to his credit, he looked better until his fifth inning of work. The Dodgers needed him to keep eating innings, and that’s what he did. It’s certainly possible that another team in need of the same thing puts in a claim on the veteran left-hander. If not, he’ll have the chance to elect free agency.
Klein, 26, was the pitcher who handed the ball off to Irvin on Friday. He has given up runs in each of his last five outings, inflating his ERA from 2.27 on July 9 to 3.67 today. His injury has been labelled right elbow discomfort.
