Banished Dodgers Reliever Seems to be Figuring Things Out in the Minor Leagues
Alex Vesia has some of that strut, some of that swagger back down at the Triple-A level. The left-hander struggled badly to open the season with the Dodgers. In 13 games at the big league level, he had a 7.84 ERA, allowing 23 hits and 6 walks for an absurd 2.806 WHIP over 10.1 innings.
The team had seen enough. He was sent down to the AAA level for the first time in two seasons and was told to get back on track and figure it out. And, after a nightmare first appearance with the Oklahoma City team, that's exactly what he's done.
Vesia has tossed 7.1 scoreless innings over his last 7 games, allowing just 4 hits while striking out 16 batters. He has walked 4, so you'd like to see the command get a little tighter, but he's looking close to being ready for a return to Los Angeles.
Since 2021, Vesia has been one of the best lefty relievers in baseball. His 2.19 ERA over 104 games between 2021 and 2022 has been among the best on the LA pitching staff. When the season opened and he wasn't right this year, it directly led to some overall issues for the Dodgers. He'd become one of Dave Roberts' most trusted arms and suddenly couldn't get batters out like he had been.
When the Dodgers sent Vesia to AAA, Roberts said he hoped it would spark the struggling reliever. And it's done just that.
“Right now he needs to catch his breath,” Roberts said early in May. “He was falling behind a lot to both left and right. He wasn't able to finish guys with the breaking ball or the fastball. Just wasn't as consistent as we need him to be, as we've seen him.”
Soon enough, it might be a matter of just finding a spot for him back on the active roster. As it stands, the Dodgers already have three left-handed relievers in the bullpen and it seems like Doc would hesitate to get rid of any of them.
Caleb Ferguson is a top setup guy for the team right now, and has thrived in every role the team has put him in. Victor Gonzalez and Justin Bruihl have been lights out, aside from this past weekend in St. Louis.
It's up to Vesia to keep forcing the issue for the Dodgers.
