Dodgers pitching desperation exemplified with Dave Roberts' latest decision

There had been some talk of stretching right-handed reliever Ben Casparius out into a starter earlier in the season, but the Los Angeles Dodgers were hesitant to disrupt the balance in their bullpen. Now, they no longer have a choice.

Just one day after the Dodgers' numerous pitching woes culminated in an 11-1 rout at the hands of the San Diego Padres in Tuesday's series opener, Casparius was tabbed as the opener for Wednesday's bullpen game. The move made sense, as Casparius has been Los Angeles' primary long reliever this season and was likely to to give the Dodgers at least three to four quality innings before they would have to dip into the bullpen.

Admittedly, Casparius did extremely well on Wednesday, pitching four innings of one-run ball to help lift the Dodgers to a 5-2 win. He has consistently been one of the Dodgers' best arms this season, pitching to a 2.86 ERA in 22 appearances (two starts). Perhaps more importantly, he has been one of the very few pitchers on the Dodgers' roster who have been able to remain healthy.

Casparius' 44 innings pitched this season rank third on the Dodgers, behind Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Dustin May – who, incidentally, are the last men standing from Los Angeles' Opening Day rotation. Now, according to manager Dave Roberts, Casparius will be joining them.

"Where we are at now, currently, he’s certainly showing that he’s one of five," Roberts said of Casparius (via Sonja Chen of MLB.com). "The next time he’s on the mound, it'll be as a starter."

Dodgers pitching desperation exemplified with Dave Roberts' latest Ben Casparius decision

Casparius made 57 starts over four seasons in the minor leagues before the Dodgers converted him to a reliever when he was promoted to the Majors last season, so it's familiar territory for him. Still, it stands to reason that a semi-permanent move to the rotation would require more time for Casparius to build up his stamina as he transitions into the role.

The return of Michael Kopech and Kirby Yates from the injured list does give the Dodgers a bit more wiggle room in their bullpen as far as leverage options. As far as bulk relief goes, however, their options become more limited with Casparius' move to the rotation. There's a chance the Dodgers do with Casparius what they have done with Justin Wrobleski, using him as a starter for one game before sending him back to the bullpen on an interim basis, but that hardly seems sustainable.

While Casparius is the most logical option because of his background as a starting pitcher, the ripple effect of his move to the rotation – no matter how long it lasts – will be felt throughout the Dodgers' roster. In the inevitable event that they lose yet another pitcher to injury this season, they are rapidly running out of options to stop the bleeding.

More Dodgers content from Dodgers Way