Dodgers’ Former Top Prospect Nick Frasso Faces Uphill Climb After Injury-Plagued Season
The Los Angeles Dodgers didn’t have much wiggle room this offseason when it came to their 40-man roster. With a flurry of high-profile moves and limited space, the team had to make some tough calls-ones that included parting ways with familiar names like Tony Gonsolin and Evan Phillips. But perhaps the most intriguing move flew a bit under the radar: the non-tendering of right-hander Nick Frasso, once one of the organization’s most promising arms.
Frasso, a former top-100 prospect, was acquired back in August 2022 in a deal that sent Mitch White and Alex De Jesus to the Blue Jays. From there, his stock only rose.
By the end of 2023, he’d climbed high enough in the rankings to earn a spot on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster, a move designed to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. At the time, MLB Pipeline had him pegged as the No. 80 overall prospect heading into 2024.
But just as Frasso seemed poised to take the next step, injuries slammed the brakes on his ascent.
Unbeknownst to many at the time, Frasso underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder-a torn labrum-prior to the Rule 5 deadline. Then, in March 2024, he required another procedure, this time to clean up the labrum in his right hip. Two surgeries in less than six months is a brutal blow for any pitcher, let alone one still trying to establish himself.
When Frasso finally made it back to the mound in 2025, the results were uneven. Over 77 innings at Triple-A, he posted a 5.49 ERA-numbers that reflect a pitcher still searching for consistency and rhythm after a long layoff. Eventually, he was placed on the 60-day injured list, a move that coincided with the Dodgers making room for the signing of veteran lefty Andrew Heaney.
Now, Frasso finds himself in a familiar but uncertain spot. He’s expected to be with the Dodgers in Spring Training, likely getting innings as part of the early rotation mix or in lower-leverage situations. But make no mistake: if he wants to re-enter the big-league conversation, he’ll need to look a lot more like the pitcher he was in 2023-when his fastball was electric, his secondary stuff was sharp, and scouts saw legitimate big-league upside.
To get there, though, Frasso will first need to earn back a spot on the 40-man roster. That’s no small feat in a Dodgers organization that’s as deep as any in baseball.
But if he can stay healthy and rediscover the form that once made him a top prospect, the door isn’t closed. It’s just a little harder to open now.