LOS ANGELES — Just as the Dodgers’ bullpen was starting to get healthier, the group took another blow when left-hander Alex Vesia was placed on the 15-day injured list with a right oblique strain ahead of Tuesday night’s game against the Reds.
Vesia’s IL placement, which was backdated three days to Saturday, was the corresponding move to reinstate lefty Blake Snell from the paternity list. Vesia had not pitched since last Thursday in Denver.
Although Vesia recently went through a rough patch where he gave up five runs (four earned) in four appearances from Aug. 6-15, the southpaw has been the Dodgers’ most reliable leverage arm as the bullpen has been rocked by injuries.
Vesia posted a 2.75 ERA across 59 appearances, the second most on the team behind Anthony Banda’s 61. Until Tuesday, he was the team’s only high-leverage arm who had not missed any time due to injury.
The Dodgers got Tanner Scott (left elbow inflammation) and Kirby Yates (lower back pain) back from the IL over the weekend, fortifying the back end of the ‘pen. Michael Kopech (right knee meniscectomy) is eligible to come off the 60-day IL on Wednesday, but manager Dave Roberts said he’s more likely to return after rosters expand on Sept. 1. It is unclear if Vesia’s injury will change that timeline.
This season, Vesia was typically part of the bridge to the ninth inning rather than one of the arms in the mix to close out games, although he did pick up four saves. In his absence, rookies Ben Casparius and Jack Dreyer could potentially step into the fireman role that Vesia excelled in.
The Dodgers have not designated a closer — although Scott has gotten the bulk of the save opportunities — so the late-inning picture could be especially fluid without Vesia. With L.A. fighting to protect a slim lead in the NL West down the stretch, finding the right formula to lock down games has been key.
