Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Included on World Series roster
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Vesia (ribs) was added to the Dodgers' World Series roster Friday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Vesia was left off the NLCS roster because of a rib cage injury, but he threw a successful simulated game Wednesday which convinced the Dodgers he was healthy enough to return. The left-hander made three scoreless relief appearances during the NLDS.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Feeling good following session
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Vesia (ribs) threw 15 pitches against live hitters in a simulated situation Wednesday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.
Vesia is recovering from a rib cage injury, but he said he was feeling good Thursday morning. The reliever noted that his fastball may have been down a bit, but added that he will be ready to go Friday for Game 1 of the World Series against the Yankees. The left-hander was left off the roster for the NLCS due to the injury but could return for the Fall Classic.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Facing hitters
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Vesia (ribs) will throw against hitters Tuesday or Wednesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.
Vesia has been dealing with a rib cage injury since his early departure from Game 5 of the NLDS, but he appears to be trending in the right direction. How he feels following his upcoming throwing session will likely determine whether he is included on the Dodgers' roster for the World Series -- a decision that is expected to be made as late as possible.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Not on NLCS roster
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Vesia (ribs) isn't included on Los Angeles' NLCS roster, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Vesia exited Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres due to a rib cage injury, and the issue is going to prevent him from playing during the National League Championship Series. His absence could be significant for the Dodgers, as Vesia was the team's top left-handed bullpen option during the campaign, posting a 1.76 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 87:33 K:BB over 66.1 innings while tallying five saves and 14 holds. Righty reliever Brent Honeywell (finger) is replacing Vesia on the roster for the NLCS, per Toribio. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Vesia could return if the team advances to the World Series.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Not likely for NLCS
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Vesia (ribs) is unlikely to be available for the NLCS against the Mets, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Vesia left Game 5 of the NLDS with an injury that has since been clarified as a rib cage issue. Manager Dave Roberts added that he hopes to have Vesia back if the Dodgers advance to the World Series, but for now, the team will be without one of its best left-handed relievers.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Battling back injury
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President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Friday that Vesia left Game 5 of the NLDS versus San Diego due to a back injury, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Vesia recorded the final out of the seventh inning Friday but was taken out by a trainer after his back flared up on him while warming up for the eighth frame. The southpaw is slated to undergo further evaluation over the weekend, which will provide the team with a better idea of his availability for the NLCS against the Mets.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Exits with trainer
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Vesia was removed from Game 5 of the NLDS against the Padres on Friday due to an apparent injury, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Vesia entered the game to get the final out of the seventh inning and was in line to handle the eighth, but he seemingly injured himself while warming up. The details of his injury and his status for a potential NLCS berth remain unknown.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Picks up win in relief
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Vesia (2-3) earned the win over Oakland on Sunday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
Vesia entered in the seventh inning and struck out two of the three batters he faced, tossing a total of 15 pitches. The impressive frame earned him credit for the win in a contest during which starter River Ryan completed 4.2 innings. Vesia notched five saves between May 6 and July 6, but he hasn't been used in a save situation since. He remains one of the Dodgers' top high-leverage options though, and he's recorded nine holds along with the five saves while posting a 1.88 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 65:22 K:BB over 48 innings on the season.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Notches save Monday
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Vesia struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save against the White Sox on Monday.
In a somewhat surprising move, the Dodgers deployed primary closer Evan Phillips to face the heart of Chicago's order in the eighth inning. That left closing duties to Vesia, who needed just 10 pitches to slam the door on the White Sox and earn his fourth save. Monday's usage suggests that manager Dave Roberts isn't opposed to having Phillips handle the highest-leverage situations even when they come before the ninth frame, and Vesia may be the likeliest option to close in such instances. Nonetheless, Phillips is still likely to get the vast majority of save opportunities, so fantasy managers shouldn't bank on many more saves from Vesia moving forward.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Secures third save
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Vesia allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-3 win over the Royals.
Most of the Dodgers' bullpen had pitched twice over the last three days, including regular closer Evan Phillips. The two freshest relievers were Vesia and Daniel Hudson, who earned the win after pitching the eighth inning. Vesia is on an 8.2-inning scoreless streak with a 13:1 K:BB, two saves and two holds in that span. He continues to impress this season with a 1.13 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 42:15 K:BB over 32 innings. He's up to three saves and four holds, so while he hasn't often been rewarded for his strong pitching, he's still capable of handling high-leverage assignments.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Collects second save
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Vesia recorded his second save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Mets, striking out three and walking one in two scoreless innings.
Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen both pitched in the matinee, leaving closing duties to Vesia in the nightcap when the Dodgers built a 3-0 lead. The southpaw has a 0.90 ERA, 0.40 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB over 10 innings in May, but with Evan Phillips (hamstring) expected back later this week, Vesia should return to setup duties.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Gets save chance in Phillips' stead
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Vesia earned a save against the Marlins on Monday, striking out one batter in a perfect ninth inning.
When Evan Phillips (hamstring) was placed on the injured list Sunday, there arose uncertainty about whom Dodgers manager Dave Roberts would turn to when the next save chance came up. The answer turned out to be Vesia, who has been arguably the team's best reliever (outside of Phillips) this season with a 1.56 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 20:12 K:BB over 17.1 innings. The southpaw handled the opportunity well, retiring the side in order on 13 pitches, nine of which were strikes. It's worth noting that the Marlins were due to send up two left-handed hitters among the first three batters in the frame (though both lefties were swapped for a righty pinch hitter), so that may have played into the Roberts' decision to call upon Vesia rather than a righty reliever. It's too early to assume that Vesia will be the primary closer while Phillips remains out, but he certainly appears to be in the mix for save chances along with Daniel Hudson and possibly Blake Treinen.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Falls short in extra inning
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Vesia (0-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one walk over 1.1 relief innings.
Vesia entered with two outs in the ninth to face Matt Olson, retiring the lefty hitter on a fly out. When the game went into an extra frame, Vesia remained in the contest and initially looked like he would hold Atlanta at bay, retiring the first two batters he faced in the 10th. However, the southpaw issued a two-out walk to Sean Murphy, then served up a long three-run homer to Orlando Arcia, creating a deficit the Dodgers couldn't come back from. It was the second time since the All-Star break Vesia has allowed multiple runs in an outing, but he's been pretty effective overall during that period, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings while notching four holds.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Fires perfect inning for save
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Vesia struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-2 win over the Pirates.
It was clean work for Vesia in his return to the major-league roster after two weeks at Triple-A Oklahoma City. He'd given up six runs (five earned) over 3.2 innings across his five appearances prior to getting sent down, but he was sharp in his return. Save chances are likely to be sparse for Vesia -- Evan Phillips had pitched three times between July 2-4, so he was likely getting a little extra rest. Brusdar Graterol picked up a hold in the eighth inning and Caleb Ferguson should also be in the mix for saves, which will likely keep Vesia in a middle-relief role. He has a 7.20 ERA, 2.30 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB through 20 innings this season while adding three holds and an 0-4 record.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Optioned to Triple-A
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Vesia was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday by the Dodgers, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Vesia was removed from the 26-man active roster to make room for Phil Bickford, who was reinstated from the injured list. Vesia will likely be back with the Dodgers at some point this summer.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Recalled to LAD bullpen
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Los Angeles recalled Vesia from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Tuesday, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.
Vesia posted an ugly 7.84 ERA and 2.81 WHIP across 10.1 innings of relief earlier this season with the Dodgers, but he hadn't allowed an earned run over his last nine appearances at the Triple-A level. The 27-year-old left-hander will try to climb back into a prominent setup role as he returns to the big-league bullpen mix.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Demoted to Triple-A
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The Dodgers optioned Vesia to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.
Los Angeles selected Gavin Stone's contract from Triple-A in a corresponding move, with the young right-hander replacing the lefty reliever on the 26-man active roster. Vesia has posted consecutive scoreless appearances but has struggled considerably this season with a 7.84 ERA and 2.81 WHIP in 10.1 innings. The southpaw will surely get another opportunity with the Dodgers this season, but he'll need to perform significantly better to pitch in high-leverage spots like he did in 2022.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Having rough start to season
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Through four appearances this season, Vesia has given up four earned runs on eight hits over three innings.
Vesia was one of the Dodgers' best relievers in both 2021 and 2022, posting a collective 2.19 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 133:46 K:BB over 94.1 innings. It's been a different story for the southpaw so far in 2023, as he's given up at least one run in three of his four appearances and has yet to get through an outing without giving up at least one hit. Vesia was thought to be a contender for save chances in Los Angeles' closer committee when the season opened, but he's unlikely to see any such chances until he gets things straightened out.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Has up-and-down spring
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Vesia pitched in eight games for the Dodgers during Cactus League play, allowing five runs over six innings. He posted a 10:3 K:BB.
Vesia racked up plenty of strikeouts this spring, but his ERA took a hit as a result of him serving up two homers. The lefty didn't have that problem last season, as he gave up only two long balls across 54.1 frames. Vesia was a major weapon for the Dodgers in 2022 with a 2.15 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 79:24 K:BB while recording 16 holds and two saves. He could see high-leverage work again this season and may even get a few save chances given the team's decision to go with a closer committee, at least in the early part of the campaign.
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Dodgers' Alex Vesia: Continues dominance with 16th hold
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Vesia earned a hold over San Diego on Thursday by retiring both batters he faced, including one by strikeout.
After Chris Martin allowed two of the three batters he faced to reach base in the eighth inning, Vesia entered and got two outs to preserve Los Angeles' 5-2 lead. The scoreless outing was Vesia's 25th over his past 26 appearances. Over that stretch, he's posted a 38:9 K:BB while allowing just one run over 24 innings.
