The Los Angeles Dodgers received some unfortunate news just before the start of the World Series. One of their most reliable bullpen arms, Alex Vesia, had to step away from the team for personal reasons.
“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,” the Los Angeles Dodgers’ official account posted.
When the World Series rosters were released, Vesia was left off. With that in mind, the Dodgers decided not to place him on a roster spot that might have allowed him to play.
“’We just didn’t want to have any potential for any kind of pressure,” Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman said last week. ‘This is so much bigger than baseball. For us, it was doing whatever small part we could to just 100 percent be supportive.'”
Whatever is happening with Vesia is far more important than baseball. On Friday, during Game 6 of the World Series, several Toronto Blue Jays bullpen players honored Vesia by putting his number on their hats.
“Every Blue Jays reliever had 51 written on their hat during Game 6 to pay their respects to Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, who is away from the team to deal with a personal matter,” Jomboy Media posted.
Every Blue Jays reliever had 51 written on their hat during Game 6 to pay their respects to Dodgers reliever Alex Vesia, who is away from the team to deal with a personal matter pic.twitter.com/jdwABAJpn2
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) November 1, 2025
Paying tribute to Vesia on the sport’s biggest stage is a truly heartwarming gesture. Personal matters will always take precedence over the game.
The Blue Jays didn’t have to do this, but they did — a reminder of how much of a family MLB players are. Even if the Blue Jays don’t win the World Series, they have already won with class.
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