Dodgers Designate Ryan Ward For Assignment

The Dodgers announced that left-hander Kris Bubic has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Right-hander Paul Gervase has been optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City to open an active roster spot. In a corresponding 40-man move, outfielder Ryan Ward has been designated for assignment.

Bubic, 29, was acquired from the Royals at the trade deadline. He was on the IL at the time and still hasn’t made his debut in Dodger blue. Injuries have been a key part of the Bubic story in recent years. Tommy John surgery wiped out most of his 2023 season. He was back on the mound in 2024 but was kept in a relief role. He returned to the rotation last year but only made 20 starts, as a rotator cuff strain took out the final couple of months of that campaign. Here in 2026, both shoulder and elbow issues have capped him at just nine starts.

The Dodgers are nonetheless betting on the talent and Bubic has indeed posted good numbers around all those issues. When in a relief role in 2024, he had a 2.67 earned run average, 32.2% strikeout rate, 4.1% walk rate and 56.2% ground ball rate. When he got stretched out last year, his numbers weren’t quite as stunning but were still strong. He posted a 2.55 ERA in his 20 starts with a 24.4% strikeout rate, 8.2% walk rate and 47.2% ground ball rate.

This year, in his nine starts, his ERA jumped to 4.11 and his walk rate to 12.6%. That was a fairly small sample and may have been connected to his injuries. Elbow soreness put him on the IL in May and then shoulder soreness slowed his recovery. The Dodgers sent him on a rehab assignment a few weeks ago and he has thrown 5 2/3 scoreless innings with ten strikeouts and three walks.

The Dodgers are planning to use him as a reliever. If Bubic can quickly get back into good form in the majors, it will be a nice boost for the team, which has some bullpen issues. Edwin Díaz has struggled badly this year and may not even crack the postseason roster. Edgardo Henriquez has stepped up as a key arm for the club this year but he is now on the IL as well, as lower back discomfort sent him there a few days ago.

Bubic has a few days to try to audition himself for a role on the playoff roster. He is an impending free agent, so it could also impact his earning power if he demonstrates good health and gets some key outs.

Activating Bubic has led to Ward getting squeezed off the roster. The 28-year-old has often put up massive numbers in Triple-A but that hasn’t led to a significant major league audition. He first reached Triple-A in 2023 and hit 21 homers that year. He took it up a notch after that, hitting 33 and 36 homers in the next two Triple-A seasons, respectively. The latter season also came with a strong 12.7% walk rate and 18.7% strikeout rate. His .290/.380/.557 line translated to a 132 wRC+, even in the context of the hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League.

Despite those huge numbers, there were some reasons for skepticism. Ward wasn’t really a top prospect and he didn’t make it to Triple-A until he was 25. When he hit 36 home runs last year, he was 27 years old and in his third full season at the level. He has played some first base but has mostly been a corner outfielder and hasn’t been considered an especially strong defender out there.

The Dodgers added Ward to their 40-man roster in November to prevent him from becoming a minor league free agent but they still haven’t had a lot of playing time to offer him. Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández are in the outfield corners. Freddie Freeman is at first base almost every day. Shohei Ohtani is the regular designated hitter.

Ward got into 20 games earlier this year and hit three home runs but has seemingly been passed on the depth chart. Most of the Dodgers’ top prospects are outfielders. When Ohtani was recently placed on the IL, the Dodgers tapped Josue De Paula to come up and take the at-bats, skipping him over the Triple-A level. Prospects Mike Sirota, Charles Davalan and Eduardo Quintero are also at the Double-A level and pushing towards major league readiness.

While that has been happening, Ward has been having a bit of a down year in Triple-A, at least by his own standards. He has 18 home runs in 473 plate appearances, a respectable number but a lesser pace for him. His 13.1% walk rate and 17.5% strikeout rate are still good but the diminished power and a .267 batting average on balls in play have led to a .248/.349/.429 line. That leads to a 99 wRC+ in the Pacific Coast League this year.

With Ward’s production down a bit and the Dodgers having other outfield options, he has been pushed off the roster. Since the trade deadline has passed, he’ll have to be placed on waivers. It would be stunning if he weren’t picked up. The power is enticing. This year’s slide is at least partially due to batted ball luck. He still has two more option years after this one. He is still nowhere near free agency and years away from qualifying for arbitration.