The Los Angeles Dodgers will likely be without reliever Alex Vesia for their upcoming NLCS against the New York Mets due to an intercostal injury.
Vesia had to exit during the Dodgers’ NLDS-clinching win over the Padres when he felt discomfort while warming up for the eighth inning. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts indicated that Vesia is “highly unlikely” to make the NLCS roster, which could impact the team’s bullpen depth as they advance in the postseason.
The Dodgers should have enough bullpen arms to cover Vesia’s absence in the NLCS. But that still hurts because lefty Vesia is their greatest relief option against left-handed hitters. Throughout the regular season, Vesia had a 1.76 ERA, 11.8 K/9, and kept lefties to a.144 batting average.
Anthony Banda may be the Dodgers’ go-to lefty from here on out in a bullpen that is heavily dominated by righties. At this point, the Dodgers may be in a war of attrition, after another impact reliever was placed on injured list a few weeks ago.
