Gus Varland became one of the players that the Los Angeles Dodgers lost in the Rule 5 Draft before the start of the 2023 season. He initially made his MLB debut with the Milwaukee Brewers after starting the year on their Opening Day roster. However, he struggled and was eventually designated for assignment and placed on waivers.

Following his waiver clearance, the Brewers offered Varland back to the Dodgers per the Rule 5 Draft rules. He subsequently returned to the Dodgers organization in late May. Despite his challenging stint with the Brewers, Varland showed promise during his time with the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate, Oklahoma City.

In August, Varland received a call-up from the Dodgers and appeared in eight games before a knee injury prematurely ended his season. During his tenure with the Dodgers, he posted a 3.09 ERA and 1.71 WHIP, earning a win-loss record of 1-1. In Oklahoma City, Varland excelled with a 2-1 record and a 2.16 ERA across 30 games, including one start.

Unfortunately, Varland’s season came to a halt when he was placed on the 15-day injured list due to right knee inflammation in September. Subsequently, he was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

One of the highlights of Varland’s 2023 season was his MLB debut, which was particularly memorable as it came against his former team, the Brewers. In that game, he pitched two scoreless innings and contributed to the Dodgers’ 7-1 victory.

Looking ahead to 2024, Varland remains under the Dodgers’ team control as a player with less than three years of service time. It is expected that he will start the season with Oklahoma City and be among the candidates the Dodgers consider for a bullpen addition whenever the need arises for fresh pitching arms.