The Los Angeles Dodgers kept left-handed relief pitcher Alex Vesia off their World Series roster as he and his wife attend to a “deeply personal family matter.”
The Dodgers turned in their final roster for the series Friday afternoon before Game 1 in Toronto against the Blue Jays.
According to Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, the team did not choose to put Vesia on the family medical emergency list as to not pressure him to return to the team. That emergency designation comes with a maximum of seven days before the player must return to the active roster.
“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.”
The only way Vesia can be added to the roster now is as an injury replacement.
“It’s certainly on our hearts and we miss him, and we’ll be thinking about him,” manager Dave Roberts told reporters. “He’s certainly a part of this. It’s just even more motivation (to win for him).”
Per USA Today, Vesia and his wife, Kayla, have been expecting their first child.
Vesia, 29, is a key component of the Dodgers’ bullpen, posting a 3.86 ERA over seven appearances this postseason.
The Dodgers added right-handers Edgardo Henriquez and Will Klein to the roster to boost their bullpen depth.
