Alex Vesia pitched a scoreless inning on Monday against the Seattle Mariners at Camelback Ranch, which in itself wasn’t all that irregular. After all, the left-hander has been a staple in the Dodgers bullpen for four years, including 142 scoreless appearances lasting at least one inning last season during that time, most on the Dodgers.
But this was his first game action since last season, and the first since he and his wife Kayla lost their newborn baby in October. That was not lost on Vesia, nor was it lost on the fans in Arizona, who gave him a nice ovation after finishing the 17-pitch inning.
Vesia spoke with reporters on Monday after his outing, which was recapped by Bill Plunkett at the Orange County Register:
“It’s been hard, actually. Hard in a good way. Because I want to interact with the fans and all that, but I know I have a job to do,” Vesia said. “Even on the back fields the first day, we walk out the doors, and (there were) cheers and lots of love.
“It means a lot to myself, and Kay too.”
News & notes
Outfielder Alex Call has yet to play in any of the three Dodgers Cactus League games this spring. He’s being slow-played with “a minor foot issue,” per Jack Harris of The California Post.
Blake Snell hasn’t yet pitched off a mound yet this spring, consistent with his slow offseason having him behind to start camp. Katie Woo at The Athletic with an update on the left-hander:
Gavin Stone gets the ball for the Dodgers on Tuesday, in his first game action in 542 days. Roki Sasaki starts Wednesday on the road against the Arizona Diamondbacks and, per Plunkett, Tyler Glasnow will start Thursday against the Chicago White Sox.
Old friend Brent Honeywell Jr., who did not pitch in 2025 after pitching whenever needed the year before, signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants, per Justice delos Santos of the San Jose Mercury News.