TORONTO — The Los Angeles Dodgers will be without left-handed reliever Alex Vesia for at least the first two games of the World Series after the club announced that he and his wife were dealing with a “deeply personal family matter.’
Vesia and his wife, Kayla, have been expecting their first child.
“The entire Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family,’ the Dodgers said in a statement, “and we will provide an update at a later date.’
The Dodgers now have the option, according to an MLB official, of placing Vesia on the “family medical emergency list.’ If Vesia is placed on leave, he would be required to stay for a minimum of three days and a maximum of seven days.
Vesia, who has pitched for the Dodgers since 2021, has been one of their valuable left-handed relievers. He pitched in 68 games during the regular season with a 3.02 ERA and five saves, and appeared in seven of the Dodgers’ 11 postseason games, yielding three hits and striking out four in 4 ⅔ innings.
Veteran reliever Tanner Scott could replace Vesia on the roster. Scott, who signed a four-year, $72 million contract last winter, struggled during the season and lost his closer’s job to Roki Sasaki. He did not pitch the first round of the postseason against the Cincinnati Reds and had been left off the postseason roster the last two rounds after undergoing an abscess incision prodecdure on his lower body.
“I think right now, we’re in the mode of trying to understand the process, the rules, a way that we could sort of try to navigate the roster,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So I think we have a little bit of time (10 a.m. ET, Friday) to finalize our roster. But, yeah, we’re going through the process of trying to backfill his spot on the roster. …
“Honestly, I think we’re just going day-to-day with really no expectations.’’