Starting on Friday, the Los Angeles Dodgers begin the final stage of their quest to become the first back-to-back World Series champions since the New York Yankees defeated the New York Mets in 2000, completing a run of three consecutive titles.
But just over 24 hours before the first pitch is thrown in Toronto as Los Angeles faces the Blue Jays, the Dodgers made an upsetting announcement about one of their most important pitchers — an announcement that clearly affects that player’s life, but also will have an impact on the Dodgers’ chances to win the Series.
According to the Dodgers’ announcement, posted to the team’s official social media accounts at about 4 p.m. Pacific Time, left-handed relief specialist Alex Vesia will be “away from the team” as the World Series gets underway. The Dodgers did not say whether the 29-year-old, six-year veteran would miss more than one game, or even the entire series.
“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 Dodgers’ announcement read. “The entire Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family, and we will provide an update at a later date.”
Vesia Situation ‘Day to Day’
Of course, the privacy of Vesia’s family remains paramount, and the Dodgers did not issue any comment on the nature off the “deeply personal family matter” that is demanding Vesia’s attention. But it is also understandable for fans and baseball experts to desire information on how long the reliever will be unavailable and how his absence will affect the Dodgers’ plans.
As of late Thursday, it remained unclear whether the Dodgers are able to fill Vesia’s roster spot for the best-of-seven World Series, or if they actually want to do so. Roberts himself said he did not have a full understanding of the roster situation.
“I think right now we’re in the mode of trying to understand the process, the rules — a way that we can sort of try to navigate the roster,” Roberts said, as quoted by the blog Dodgers Nation. “We’re going through the process of trying to backfill his spot on the roster.”
Roberts also said that he did not know exactly how long Vesia would be missing from the team.
“I think we’re just going day to day with really no expectations,” the 53-year-old in his 10th season as Dodgers manager said, per Dodgers Nation.
Struggling Dodger Bullpen Takes a Hit
Vesia has been an important postseason arm for the Dodgers not only this year, but since he arrived at Chavez Ravine in 2021, after a trade from the Miami Marlins who drafted him in 2018 in the 17th round.
Vesia has pitched out of the Dodgers bullpen in nine postseason series in that span, throwing 19 1/3 innings with a sparkling 1.86 ERA.
In last year’s World Series Vesia pitched 2 2/3 innings without allowing a run, with just one hit and a walk.
Vesia struggled somewhat during the regular season, as did the entire Dodgers bullpen. In terms of ERA, the 2025 Dodgers bullpen was the sixth-worst in Los Angeles Dodgers history, since the franchise relocated to the city from Brooklyn, New York, in 1958.
But at 3.02, Vesia’s ERA was significantly better than the 4.28 posted by the bullpen as a whole.
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