Dodgers' Vesia away from team in Toronto ahead of World Series

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia was not with the team in Toronto on Thursday, one day before Game 1 of the World Series, after the club announced he was away to address a deeply personal family matter involving his wife. The Dodgers said they would provide an update at a later date, and manager Dave Roberts said it was unclear whether Vesia would be available at any point during the series against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Vesia, 29, has been a fixture in the Dodgers bullpen this season, appearing in 68 regular season games with a 3.02 earned run average. He has also worked seven times in the postseason, going 2-0 with a 3.86 ERA. A native of Alpine, California, Vesia joined the Dodgers after a 2020 rookie season with the Miami Marlins and has spent five years with Los Angeles.

Roberts said the club was exploring options to fill Vesia's roster spot, noting the team must finalize the World Series roster on Friday morning. "We're in the mode of trying to understand the process, the rules, a way that we could sort of try to navigate the roster," Roberts said before the Dodgers' workout at Rogers Centre. He added that the club was taking the situation day to day and had no firm...