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Dodgers' Kris Bubic roster move sees departure of minor league fan favorite

Poor guy.
ByKatrina Stebbins
MLB: MAY 08 Tigers at Royals
MLB: MAY 08 Tigers at Royals | Icon Sportswire/GettyImages

Los Angeles Dodgers fans have been anticipating a roster move for days now, ever since the club announced Kris Bubic would be joining the major league team after a long IL stint with left elbow soreness that dates back to his time with the Kansas City Royals.

That roster move came on Wednesday but included a sad wrinkle for Dodgers fans: fan favorite minor leaguer and Pacific Coast League MVP Ryan Ward was DFA'ed to make room for Bubic on the 40-man roster. Paul Gervase, in just the latest move of his topsy-turvy 2026 season, was optioned back to Triple-A.

Bubic spent 15 days rehabbing in the minors and was almost entirely unhittable. He pitched 5 2/3 innings in relief, gave up just two hits and no runs, and struck out a stunning nine batters while only walking two.

The Dodgers desperately need the bullpen help, but fans are certainly going to be disappointed that it had to come at the expense of Ward, who we've spent so long pleading with LA on behalf of. Although he got a couple of shining moments in the major leagues with the Dodgers, it'll be hard to watch if he thrives with another club.

Dodgers activate Kris Bubic from 60-day IL, DFA Ryan Ward

From an unsentimental standpoint, it's totally understandable that Ward was the one to go. He hit decently in his two short stints in LA, and he'll always have that grand slam against the Pittsburgh Pirates, but he hasn't looked like himself since being returned to Triple-A, and the Dodgers were never going to be able to give him an everyday place to play, especially with Josue De Paula's arrival.

After years of mashing against Triple-A pitching, Ward is hitting .248 with a .778 OPS, his worst marks since his first year in Oklahoma City. His 18 homers are exactly half as much as he hit in 2025.

The odds that the Dodgers get Ward back in the organization are slim, though. The Dodgers may not have space for their overachieving prospects, but most of baseball's other 29 teams should.

At the end of the day, it's probably for the best. The Dodgers get another solid bullpen arm in Bubic, and fans have been screaming at the team to either use Ward or trade him and let him try to excel elsewhere. Now, he actually has an opportunity to do just that.

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