After a very active but somewhat controversial trade deadline period, shipping away Dustin May, James Outman, Hunter Feduccia, Eriq Swan, and Sean Paul Liñan for Alex Call, Brock Stewart, Adam Serinowski, Paul Gervase, and Ben Rortvedt, the Los Angeles Dodgers have officially begun to re-jigger their roster to make room for some new faces.
With two major leaguers leaving and two surefire rotational players returning, finding a spot for Call and Stewart was as simple as swapping out one name on a locker for another but, in an interesting twist, the Dodgers are keeping another trade deadline addition on their active roster, placing reliever Kirby Yates on IL to make room for massive – literally – bullpen arm Paul Gervase.
“The Dodgers added RHPs Paul Gervase, Brock Stewart, and OF Alex Call to the active roster and placed RHP Kirby Yates on the injured list with lower back pain, retroactive to July 29,” The Dodgers shared.
Originally drafted in the 12th round of the 2022 MLB Draft by the New York Mets, Gervase was traded to the Tampa Bay Rays in 2024 in a deal for Tyler Zubar and slowly but surely worked his way up the team's farm system, making his MLB debut in June of 2025 against the Detroit Tigers. Gervase has pitched just five innings, allowing six hits, three runs, and three home runs for his trouble for an ERA of 4.26.
Is Gervase going to be a difference-maker for the Dodgers right away? No, probably not, as the 25-year-old is still raw and will likely be used in low-leverage moments in lopsided games at least initially. But with elite size and intriguing upside, who knows, maybe the Dodgers will find Gervase is more than just a developmental arm and could provide value as a setup man for Blake Treinen, Stewart, and eventually Yates, when he returns from IL.
