TORONTO — Dodgers released their World Series lineup on Friday, but a key piece in the bullpen was, as expected, missing.
Lefty pitcher Alex Vecia was not on the list because he and his wife are dealing with what the club on Thursday called a “deeply personal family matter.”
Vesia also was not placed on the family emergency list, which would have allowed him to be back on the list in at least three days.
Instead, Vecia will now only be able to return to the Dodgers lineup if he is injured. And even then, manager Dave Roberts said he would “most likely” not be involved in the series.
Andrew FriedmanPresident of Baseball Operations for the Dodgers, said the team did not place Vecia on the emergency family medical list, which would have had a maximum stay of seven days, because they did not want him to feel pressure to return.
“This is so much more important than baseball,” Friedman said. “And for us, it was to do whatever little part we could to just be 100% supportive.”
Vesey's absence is a major blow to a bullpen that considered him one of its most reliable members (especially in left field) this October.
During the regular season, Vecia had a 3.02 ERA in 68 appearances (second-highest on the team). In the playoffs, he had a 3.86 ERA in the team's seven appearances.
“It's certainly in our hearts, we miss him and we'll be thinking about him,” Roberts said. “He's definitely a part of it. It's just more motivation.” [to win for him]”
Without Vecia, the Dodgers made a couple of additions to the bench, adding hard-hitting right-handers. Edgardo Enriquez and Will Klein returned to the lineup.
Enriquez, who had a 2.37 ERA in 22 regular-season appearances, was last active in the wild-card series early in the playoffs when he failed to record a strikeout, walking two batters and giving up a hit in his only appearance.
Klein, meanwhile, is activated for the first time this postseason after posting a 2.35 ERA in 14 appearances this year.
Both pitchers' biggest strength is their triple-digit fastball velocity. Friedman said they were added to the roster because the club liked how their arsenals matched the Blue Jays' lineup.
The Dodgers' only other change from the NLCS was the removal of another right-hander. Ben Caspariusfrom the 12-person pitching staff.
Left-handed pitcher Tanner Scott, who was removed from the NLDS lineup with a cut abscess in his back, was not added back to the lineup. Roberts characterized the decision as more medically related, saying Scott's stuff “wasn't quite there” in recent bullpen sessions as he tried to gain momentum again.
The team also retained the same group of 14 players it used in the last round, again selecting defensive and speed specialists Justin Dean and Hyesung Kim over veteran outfielder Michael Conforto and third-string catcher Dalton Rushing in the final roster spots.
