Alex Vesia left off Dodgers' World Series roster as reliever deals with 'deeply personal family matter'

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia is not on the club's World Series roster as he deals with what the team characterized Thursday as "a deeply personal matter" within his family. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Friday ahead of Game 1 versus the Blue Jays that Vesia "most likely" won't participate in the series.

"I think that's probably the most likely," Roberts said. "Unless something unforeseen happens, that's kind of what we're anticipating."

Vesia is not on family medical emergency list, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman confirmed. If he were on the list, Vesia could be activated later in the World Series. As it is, he can be added only to replace an injured player.

"We just didn't want to have any potential for any kind of pressure," Friedman said Friday before Game 1. "This is so much bigger than baseball. For us, it was doing whatever small part we could to just a hundred percent be supportive.

Here is the club's Thursday statement in full: 

"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 Dodgers organization is sending our thoughts to the Vesia family, and we will provide an update at a later date."

This year, the 29-year-old left-hander made 68 appearances for the Dodgers during the regular season with an ERA of 3.02 and 80 strikeouts and 19 unintentional walks in 59 ⅔ innings. During the team's current playoff run, Vesia has a 3.86 ERA in 4 ⅔ innings. Over that span, he's allowed a run in only one of his seven appearances. Vesia has been a reliable fixture in the Dodger bullpen since they acquired him from the Miami Marlins via trade in February of 2021. 

Game 1 of the World Series is scheduled for Friday in Toronto at 8 p.m. ET.