4 Dodgers players who need to step up before it's too late

Alex Vesia

Vesia was already optioned to Triple-A because of his unforeseen struggles and he's still yet to find a fix for what's been going on. His 7.58 ERA, 4.22 FIP and 2.42 WHIP are surely not major league stats and there's an argument to be had that he should be optioned again.

This one hurts most for the 'pen because of how impactful the left-hander had been the previous two seasons. He was the Dodgers' bulldog who got the team out of so many high-pressure situations. His emotion on the mound was electrifying. He was a nightmare for left-handed hitters.

But now he's a punching bag, for reasons unknown. Manager Dave Roberts says the team is "digging" for answers with Vesia, but time is not on their side. The advantage here is that Vesia has options remaining, so he can be stashed in Triple-A to work out his kinks if he can't get back on track.

The Dodgers have no desire to get rid of him, but he can't be in the bullpen for the entirety of this season if he's witnessing a complete 180 in his game to the point where he's unplayable.