Ronald Belisario travels to Philadelphia, set to rejoin Dodgers
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Gone for a more than a month to deal with what the Dodgers and his agent described as personal reasons, reliever Ronald Belisario is set to return for the start of a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday.
Belisario was part of the Dodgers’ traveling party that departed Los Angeles on Monday, according to a team source. A roster spot for the hard-throwing reliever was opened when the Dodgers optioned Ramon Troncoso to triple-A Albuquerque.
The Times reported last month that Belisario vanished from the team to receive treatment in a substance-abuse program, something the Dodgers and Belisario’s agent have declined to confirm or deny.
When Belisario was asked at Dodger Stadium last week regarding his whereabouts over the last month, he replied, ‘I can’t talk about that yet.’
Belisario is serving his second stint of the season on the restricted list. The first stint was in the spring, when Belisario was more than a month late to camp in part because of drunk-driving charges he faced. (He eventually pleaded guilty to a lesser charge.)
Belisario pitched twice over the weekend for class-A Inland Empire as part of a minor-league rehabilitation assignment. He gave up a run on Saturday and pitched a scoreless inning on Sunday.
-- Dylan Hernandez