Will Klein has spent a lot of time living out of his suitcase during his MLB career. Now, though, Klein is in a battle for a bullpen spot with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Last season, Dodgers fans became aware of Klein during the team's postseason run to a second straight World Series championship.

It would seem logical that Klein would be a shoo-in for the 2026 MLB season, right? Well, not so fast on that thought.

Yet, the Dodgers players and fans remember Klein coming in during Game 3 against the Toronto Blue Jays last season. Klein worked four innings, which was the longest stretch since his college days, according to Dodgers beat reporter Sonja Chen of MLB.com.

Klein has gotten used to what the Dodgers are looking from him as a reliever.

"The most important thing I've gotten out of this," Klein said, "is when I leave the field at the end of the day, I'm not a baseball player to Carson, my wife, or my cats. … Obviously, the last year has been all over the place, but there's a lot of doubt and are-you-good-enough kind of thoughts that happen with those things.

"But the most important part is staying true to yourself and getting through that," Klein said. "When I got here, they really helped."

Klein has played for the Kansas City Royals, Athletics, and Seattle Mariners. Last May, when Klein was designated for assignment by the Mariners, Los Angeles took a flier on him and picked Klein up.

Man, it was a good thing they did because Klein was so good in the 2025 World Series. His effort got the attention of Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman and now-retired Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw. Both players were effusive in their praise of what Klein did in that game.

Yet Klein was not penciled in for the Dodgers' bullpen before Spring Training started. That meant he has had to take every opportunity presented to him at Camelback Ranch in Glendale, Arizona, and make the most out of them. 

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts has been noticing Klein's work.

"I’ve already seen the confidence in Will versus last year when we traded for him," Roberts said, "and he was unsure of himself, where now he has the respect of his teammates, and he’s done it in the highest of leverage. You can’t manufacture that. You’ve got to live it and do it."

Let's see if Klein can make enough of a push here as Spring Training starts winding down to join other Dodgers pitchers in the bullpen.

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