LOS ANGELES — 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 opener, and left-hander Nestor Cortes was restored by the New York Yankees.
Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier and right-handers Evan Phillips and Edgardo Henriquez were dropped by the Dodgers and infielder Jon Berti by the Yankees.
Phillips’ arm “tightened up” and didn’t respond well after the NL Championship Series and “there’s enough ambiguity” that the Dodgers left him off the roster, according to Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations.
Because it is a pre-existing issue, Friedman said the team couldn’t replace Phillips if the problem persisted and they didn’t want to put him in harm’s way.
However, Friedman said: “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 is 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA in five postseason games with 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 Oct. 11.
Rojas hasn’t played since Game 3 of the Padres matchup on Oct. 8 due to an adductor injury.
Graterol has been sidelined since Sept. 24 by inflammation in his pitching shoulder. Graterol pitched three scoreless outings in the 2020 World Series against Tampa Bay. He was limited to seven regular-season appearances this season.
Berti got hurt on a headfirst slide while scoring the go-ahead run in the ninth inning of Friday’s 8-6 win at Cleveland that gave the Yankees a 3-1 AL Championship Series lead.
“He wasn’t really available in Game 5 of the Cleveland series,” Boone said. “We’re hoping the gap, the 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 Sept. 18 because of a flexor strain in his pitching elbow. He threw two innings of batting practice at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday.
Cortes said Boone told 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 magnitude of these games and how prepared I am, I think I’m going to be fine,” he said.
Los Angeles stayed with 13 pitchers and 13 position players. The Yankees also were at 13 and 13, up from 12 pitchers for the AL Championship Series and 11 pitchers for the Division Series.
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