Dodgers Take Chance on Former UCLA Pitcher

Isn’t it funny how things come full circle?

Former UCLA Bruin pitcher Nick Nastrini was placed on waivers by the Chicago White Sox and picked up by the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The NorCal native returns to SoCal looking to bounce back and revive his professional career.

Nastrini’s baseball journey has seemingly been on a downslope since he entered Westwood.

His freshman year, he didn’t see the mound a whole lot—only starting in four games due to a battle with thoracic outlet syndrome—but he compiled a 1-0 record with a 1.37 ERA.

If the injury hadn’t occurred, it might’ve been a masterclass season for a freshman who didn’t get drafted.

As he approached his sophomore season, something was definitely off. Perhaps he was still recovering from injury and working out the kinks. He still fared decently with a 4.60 ERA. However, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and college sports were effectively canceled that season, ending any momentum Nastrini may have built.

Once the world cleared up and returned somewhat to normal, Nastrini’s game didn’t. In the most appearances of his college career, he posted a dreadful 6.89 ERA.

Luckily for him, the Dodgers saw something in him and drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 Draft. And as he began his professional career, the numbers started coming back to Earth.

He aggressively shot up the ranks in the minors, only playing one game in Rookie ball before immediately being sent to A-ball, where he compiled a 2.08 ERA for Rancho Cucamonga.

After a solid season in Double-A, Nastrini was part of the trade that sent Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly to the Dodgers. Nastrini, along with Trayce Thompson and Jordan Leasure, was sent to the Chicago White Sox.

Eventually, Nastrini found his way to the bigs. After a year and a half still grinding through the minor league ranks, the White Sox called him up and gave him an opportunity to shine.

Unfortunately, the White Sox were bad. Really bad. They went 41–121, which was the sixth-worst season in MLB history.

In his first MLB season, Nastrini went 0–7 with a horrendous 7.07 ERA.

Nothing was the same after that. The following season, after more struggles in the minors, the Miami Marlins took a flier on him in 2025, sending him to Triple-A Jacksonville. But boy, was that ugly.

In his lone game in Jacksonville, Nastrini allowed four walks, no hits, and two earned runs.

Quickly after, Miami designated him for assignment—and the prospect of Nastrini being a legitimate player seemed to fade.

But the local Dodgers wanted to take one last chance on the kid with SoCal roots.