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By Jon Paul Hoornstra
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Dodgers are "most likely" going to be without reliever Alex Vesia during the World Series, manager Dave Roberts said ahead of Game 1 on Friday.
The left-handed pitcher was not included on the team's initial 26-man roster for the series against the Toronto Blue Jays. That means he can only be added to the roster in case of an injury to another player.
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Roberts was asked if the Dodgers considered putting Vesia on the family medical leave list, one day after the team announced Vesia was away from the team due to a "deeply personal family matter."
“We exhausted a couple different options," Roberts said. "This was probably the best way to handle it.”
Vesia's wife, Kayla, announced on Instagram in April that the couple was expecting their first child. Neither Roberts, nor the team, have provided additional details about the nature of Vesia's absence.
Vesia has been the Dodgers' most reliable left-handed reliever all season. Losing him for the entire World Series would weaken their already-thin bullpen, and force Roberts to get creative in high-leverage situations after his starting pitcher has been removed.
Fortunately the Blue Jays are relatively thin on left-handed hitters. Their first five hitters, and seven of their nine starters in Game 1, all bat right-handed.
Unfortunately for the Dodgers, Vesia had limited right-handed opponents to a .193/.304/.378 slash line in the regular season, making him their best option in many high-leverage situations — regardless of the opposing hitter's handedness.
Other than Roki Sasaki, it's unclear which of Roberts' relievers might be used in late and close situations.
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Right-handed reliever Ben Casparius was also left off the Dodgers' roster after being included — but not appearing — in the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
In place of Casparius and Vesia, the Dodgers included right-handers Will Klein and Edgardo Henriquez in their bullpen for the series. Neither is expected to take down any high-leverage innings.
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Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman told reporters, including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times, why they didn't feel the Family Emergency List was the best option for Vesia: they didn't want him to feel pressured to return.
"This is so much bigger than baseball," Friedman said (via Harris). "And for us, it was doing whatever small part we could to just 100% be supportive."
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