Dodgers hit with harsh reality Reds already knew after latest roster move

The revolving door in the Los Angeles Dodgers' pitching staff continues to spin, with right-hander Paul Gervase being the latest arm to get the call-up from Triple-A Oklahoma City prior to Wednesday's game against the Colorado Rockies.

To clear a space for Gervase on the active roster, the Dodgers optioned Alexis Diaz to Triple-A in a corresponding move. Díaz, who was acquired on May 29 from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for minor league pitcher Paul Villani, is 1-0 with a 5.00 ERA in nine games for the Dodgers. He has struck out nine hitters and walked two while allowing five runs over nine innings.

Diaz was a National League All-Star with the Reds in 2023, going 9-6 with a 3.07 ERA with 37 saves in a career-high 71 games. This season, however, he has been anything but star quality. A rough start to the year saw his ERA balloon up to 12.00 with Cincinnati before he was optioned to Triple-A Louisville and eventually traded (because he was also faltering big time in the minor leagues). Perhaps the Dodgers are just now realizing what the Reds already knew to be true.

It seems there's a reason the Reds did not hesitate to trade Diaz to the Dodgers when they had the chance. It seems they knew he was already broken beyond repair.

Dodgers make pitching swap, replace Alexis Diaz with Paul Gervase on active roster

Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reported on Tuesday that Gervase had joined the Dodgers in Denver, so it was only a matter of time before the team made the roster move official.

This marks the second time that Gervase has been added to the Dodgers' active roster since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays as part of a three-team trade at last month's deadline. Prior to the trade, Gervase was 2-3 with four saves, a 3.12 ERA and 0.97 WHIP in 28 games (one start) for Triple-A Durham this season while averaging 14.06 strikeouts per nine innings.

Gervase had joined the Rays just over a month before the trade and pitched to a 4.56 ERA in five appearances. He struck out five batters over 6 1/3 innings innings, but also walked five. Gervase joined the Dodgers immediately after the trade but didn't pitch and was optioned just a day later as the corresponding move to Blake Snell coming off the 60-day injured list.

Across five games with Triple-A Oklahoma City this season, Gervase has a 2.08 ERA across 8 2/3 innings pitched. He will likely make his Dodgers debut (and just his sixth appearance in the Majors) during the team's road trip this week. And it's hard to believe he could be much worse than Diaz has been.

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