LOS ANGELES — When the final out was recorded on his most recent save – just the third of his promising young career – Jack Dreyer pumped a fist toward infielder Miguel Rojas, hugged catcher Ben Rortvedt and otherwise showed little emotion.
If the young left-hander was elated at the completion of a much-needed Dodgers’ victory on Sunday at Baltimore, he barely showed it. If he was a bundle of nerves over getting the call to end a five-game losing streak, he hid it well.
A surprise to make the roster when the season started for the defending World Series champions, the undrafted Dreyer still operates somewhat in obscurity as his first full season nears a close, and yet gives off an air like he has been there before.
In a sense, he has.
As one of just five Dodgers players who have been on the roster since Opening Day (not counting Shohei Ohtani’s stint on the paternity list), Dreyer is expected to have a role in October, even for a club currently carrying five left-handed relievers.
He might be a rookie, but the 26-year-old continues to lean into his secret weapon.
Steve Dreyer made just 15 appearances (nine starts) for the Texas Rangers in the early 1990s, earning four wins while posting a 5.71 ERA. More than 30 years later, those outings, along with an eight-year run in the minor leagues, are paying dividends for the 2025 Dodgers.
Steve Dreyer is in constant contact with his son, whose status continues to rise within baseball’s most talented roster.
“I was actually on the phone with him yesterday,” Jack Dreyer said of his father this week. “He likes to call and ask about pitch selection, that kind of stuff. It comes from a very knowledgeable standpoint.
“I mean, I think we were different pitchers. I’m a lefty, he’s a righty. He started more games. But, you know, at the core, it’s still the same game. So it’s, I’m really lucky to be able to talk to him.”
Dryer and right-hander Ben Casparius had formed a 1-2 punch in the bullpen, mostly tasked with taking down the middle innings. Roommates for two seasons in the minor leagues, it was as if they had a winning lottery ticket to rub shoulders in the clubhouse of baseball’s biggest stars.
That duo, though, was broken up this week when Casparius was optioned back to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Dreyer will now pick up the torch for both of them, although Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Casparius still could return at some point in the regular season or playoffs.
“I’ve been saying it all year, but it’s important to just focus on what you can control,” Dreyer said. “And the business aspect is not one of those things that you can control. So, you know, at the end of the day, the team, the organization, they’re gonna do whatever it takes to win. And that means switching out personnel sometimes. It doesn’t mean you have to like it, but it is what’s best for the organization.”
With a 2-2 record, three saves and a 2.74 ERA over 59 appearances, Dreyer has shown staying power. Only fellow lefties Alex Vesia and Anthony Banda have more appearances for the Dodgers this season.
“Jack’s been great,” Roberts said. “You know, it’s hard to quantify baseball aptitude or heartbeat, but because of his intelligence, his calmness, he’s been able to kind of handle whatever role, whatever leverage. He takes the information, understands what he’s trying to do every time he’s on the mound. And that’s shown itself.”
Dreyer’s debut did not go exactly as planned. In the second game of the season, against the Chicago Cubs on March 19 in Tokyo, he retired the first two batters he faced before allowing a run on an infield single and a Dansby Swanson double.
Again against the Cubs on April 23, he gave up four runs in an inning with three walks, with Swanson getting him on a two-run single.
Otherwise, most of the season has been Swanson-free. Roberts gave Dreyer his first true save opportunity on July 28 in Cincinnati, and he recorded the out on the only batter he faced while taking over for veteran Blake Treinen, who was scuffling.
Dreyer’s second save came on Aug. 15 to kick off a three-game home sweep against the San Diego Padres. It was another one-out save to seal a win for Clayton Kershaw.
With the bullpen underperforming last weekend in Baltimore, Dreyer was called on to pitch the entire ninth inning Sunday and was able to work around a two-out single to get the final out on a ground ball to third base from Luis Vazquez.
Most of Dreyer’s work has come in the sixth inning this season (18 appearances), but he has spent time pitching in the ninth inning on 10 occasions and has a 1.12 ERA in those outings.
While guys like Tanner Scott, Vesia, Treinen and Kirby Yates figure to be higher priorities for the ninth inning down the stretch, Dreyer is well aware that days like Sunday at Baltimore can happen at any moment.
And if they do, he knows he has a wealth of knowledge to lean from somebody close to him. And there have been tips and pointers from those in the clubhouse as well.
The biggest challenge has been grinding his way through a six-month major league regular season for the first time.
“From a young age, having my dad, who was also my coach, helped,” Dreyer said. “But then I think there has been a general curiosity and a willingness to learn, because every single guy in this clubhouse has something to offer.
“So each day I try to come in and learn from somebody the best I can. I’m just really lucky to have such a good group around me.”
UP NEXT
Dodgers (RHP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-8, 2.72 ERA) at Giants (RHP Justin Verlander, 3-10, 4.09 ERA), Friday, 7:15 p.m., SportsNet LA, MLB Network (out of market), 570 AM