PHOENIX –– In the middle of theirCamelback Ranch clubhouseWednesday afternoon, the Dodgers laid out a stack of shirts commemorating their 18-inning victory in Game 3 of last year’s World Series.

Across the front of the blue tees, the four heroes of the game were displayed:Teoscar Hernández, Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and, yes, Will Klein.

“It’s kind of been like a 180,” Klein joked about how much his life has changed since that night. “You can see the social media, fan stuff. But just on the personal side, there’s more confidence. Seeing myself do that kind of built a foundation to keep going.”

Indeed, when Klein arrived at spring training last week, he found himself in a peculiar spot: A postseason legend on one hand, after throwing four scoreless innings as the last man standing in the Dodgers’ bullpen during that marathon Game 3 triumph; but also, a fringe roster candidate on the team’s loaded pitching staff, trying to parlay his brief moment of playoff glory into a more established big-league job.

In this boat, Klein is not alone.

Entering camp, several other standouts from last year’s World Series run also found themselves battling for roster spots –– including Justin Wrobleski, the left-handed swingman who pitched five scoreless innings in last year’s World Series, and Edgardo Henriquez, the hard-throwing right-hander who provided two scoreless innings in Game 3 of the Fall Classic.

A week ago, all of their roles for 2026 seemed uncertain.

But now, injuries elsewhere on the roster are giving them renewed opportunities.

In the bullpen, the Dodgers will start this season missing several key arms.Evan Phillips is recovering from Tommy John surgeryand won’t be back until midseason. Brock Stewart is recovering from a shoulder surgery he had in September and is unlikely to be ready for Opening Day. Brusdar Graterol was also ruled out for the start of the campaign on Wednesday, with manager Dave Roberts saying the team is keeping him on “an intentionally slow build-up” process as he returns from a 2025 season lost to his own shoulder procedure.

Suddenly, there is a lane for Klein and Henriquez to not only make the Dodgers’ Opening Day roster but also serve potentially important roles in the early part of the season.

Source: California Post – Breaking California News, Photos & Videos