Dodgers Bullpen Faces Challenge as Alex Vesia Stepped Away From World Series Roster
ARLINGTON, TX – The Los Angeles Dodgers announced Thursday that left-handed reliever Alex Vesia has been removed from the World Series roster to attend to a deeply personal family matter. The team emphasized its full support for Vesia adn his wife during this arduous time.
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman explained the decision not to place Vesia on the Family Medical Emergency List – which would have allowed for a potential return after a minimum of three days – stemmed from a desire to avoid placing any pressure on the pitcher. “This is so much bigger than baseball,” Friedman said. “and for us,it was doing whatever small part we could to just 100% be supportive.” Vesia will only be eligible to rejoin the roster in the event of an injury, though manager Dave Roberts indicated he “most likely” wouldn’t be available for the series.
Vesia’s absence is a significant loss for the Dodgers bullpen, notably on the left side. He posted a 3.02 ERA in a team-second-best 68 regular season appearances and a 3.86 ERA in a team-high seven playoff outings.
To compensate,the Dodgers added right-handed pitchers Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein to the relief corps. Henriquez, who had a 2.37 ERA in 22 regular season games, appeared in the wild-card series, allowing a hit and walking two batters without recording an out. Klein is being activated for the first time this postseason, having recorded a 2.35 ERA in 14 appearances this year. Friedman stated the additions were made based on how thier pitching arsenals matched up against the Toronto Blue jays’ lineup.
The Dodgers also removed right-hander Ben Casparius from the 12-man pitching staff.Left-handed reliever Tanner Scott, previously removed due to an abscess incision, was not reinstated, with Roberts citing Scott’s velocity as not being fully recovered in recent bullpen sessions. The team maintained its 14-player position group, prioritizing defensive and speed specialists Justin Dean and Hyeseong Kim over veteran outfielder Michael Conforto and third catcher Dalton Rushing.
“It’s certainly on our hearts and we miss him, and we’ll be thinking about him,” Roberts said. “He’s certainly a part of this. It’s just even more motivation [to win for him].”
