TORONTO — Lefty reliever Alex Vesia‘s status for the World Series is uncertain due to a “deeply personal family matter,” the Dodgers said in a statement on Thursday.
“It’s with a heavy heart that we share that Alex Vesia is away from the team as he and his wife Kayla navigate a deeply personal family matter. The entire Dodger organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family, and we will provide an update at a later date,” the complete statement read.
Vesia did not join the team in Toronto ahead of Friday’s Game 1 at Rogers Centre. He and his wife have been awaiting the birth of their first child.
Manager Dave Roberts acknowledged that the Dodgers are examining options to backfill Vesia’s spot on the roster. He was unsure whether Vesia might be able to return to the team later in the Series.
“Honestly, I think we’re just going day to day,” Roberts said, “with really no expectations.”
The Dodgers are exploring their options before World Series rosters are due at 10 a.m. local time on Friday. They could remove Vesia from the roster altogether if they do not think he will be back in time. Another option would be placing him on the family medical emergency list, which allows him to spend three to seven days away before possibly returning to the team.
“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,” Roberts said. “So I think we have a little bit of time — I think 10 o’clock tomorrow or something like that — to finalize our roster.
“But, yeah, we’re going through the process of trying to backfill his spot on the roster.”
Vesia has been the Dodgers’ fireman, arguably the steadiest reliever in a volatile bullpen. He recorded a 3.02 ERA across 68 outings in the regular season and had appeared in seven of Los Angeles’ 10 games this postseason.
The Dodgers were already considering making a change to their bullpen for the World Series, but it will be difficult to fill Vesia’s spot. He is one of their few arms who have appeared in leverage this postseason.
Fellow southpaw Tanner Scott, who was removed from the NLDS roster and sat out the NLCS after undergoing a procedure to treat an abscess in his lower body, could be a candidate to replace Vesia on the roster. Hard-throwing righty Will Klein traveled with the Dodgers for the first time this postseason and could be a potential answer for the Blue Jays’ potent right-handed bats.
