Left-hander Alex Vesia, right-hander Brusdar Graterol, and infielder Miguel Rojas were added to the Los Angeles Dodgers’ World Series roster before Friday’s game, while left-hander Nestor Cortes returned to the New York Yankees.
Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and right-handers Evan Phillips and Edgardo Henriquez were removed from the Dodgers’ roster, and infielder Jon Berti was dropped by the Yankees.
Phillips’ arm “tightened up” and didn’t respond well after the NL Championship Series, and “there’s enough ambiguity” for the Dodgers to leave him off the roster, according to Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations.
Because it’s a pre-existing issue, Friedman explained that the team couldn’t replace Phillips if the problem continued, and they didn’t want to risk further injury. However, Friedman stated: “He’s not going to be shut down.”
“I wish there was a clear answer in this. It’s not,” Friedman said. “It’s one of those things that until he really ramps it up in any kind of intensity, we’re not going to know.”
Phillips has a record of 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five postseason games, recording six strikeouts over 6 2/3 innings.
Vesia was left off the NLCS roster after he suffered an intercostal injury while warming up in Game 5 of the NL Division Series against San Diego on October 11. Rojas hasn’t played since Game 3 of the Padres matchup on October 8 due to an adductor injury.
Graterol has been out since September 24 because of inflammation in his pitching shoulder. He had three scoreless outings in the 2020 World Series against Tampa Bay but was limited to seven regular-season appearances this season.
Berti got injured while sliding headfirst to score the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of Friday’s 8-6 win at Cleveland, which gave the Yankees a 3-1 lead in the AL Championship Series.
“He wasn’t really available in Game 5 of the Cleveland series,” Boone said. “We’re hoping the gap of a few days would help, yeah, so that’s a bit of a bummer. … He’s an important part, especially of the bench mix, so it’s a blow.”
Cortes hasn’t pitched in a game since September 18 due to a flexor strain in his pitching elbow. He threw two innings of batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.
Cortes said Boone informed him about the decision on Wednesday in the visiting manager’s office at Dodger Stadium. “Boonie has seen me grow up in this organization since 2019, and I think he’s very excited for me to be in this situation with him. We hugged it out,” Cortes said.
“Obviously with the importance of these games and how prepared I am, I think I’m going to be fine,” he added.
Los Angeles kept 13 pitchers and 13 position players. The Yankees also had 13 and 13, increasing from 12 pitchers for the AL Championship Series and 11 pitchers for the Division Series.
