Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips will undergo Tommy John surgery, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic). He’ll miss the remainder of this season and most or all of 2026 as well.
It’s a crushing blow to the Dodger bullpen and for Phillips personally. Claimed off waivers from Tampa Bay in 2021, the 6’2″ righty broke out as one of the best relievers in the game upon landing in Los Angeles. He fired 63 innings of 1.14 ERA ball during his first full season as a Dodger. Phillips followed up with a 2.05 mark while recording 24 saves after emerging as the team’s closer. He saved another 18 games last year before moving into a setup role after they acquired Michael Kopech at the deadline.
Phillips had avoided any arm injuries over that stretch. His only two injured list stints were related to his quad and hamstring, respectively. That changed last fall. Phillips pitched through arm fatigue during the early stages of the team’s playoff run. It became significant enough that the club had to scratch him for the World Series. Phillips revealed over the offseason that the issue was primarily with his shoulder, as he was eventually diagnosed with a slightly torn rotator cuff tendon. He avoided surgery but took things slowly during his ramp-up and began the season on the injured list.
The 30-year-old righty made it back to the mound in the middle of April. Phillips looked great through seven appearances, reeling off 5 2/3 scoreless frames with six strikeouts. The return proved short-lived, as the Dodgers placed him back on the IL three weeks later with forearm discomfort. They transferred him to the 60-day injured list yesterday as the corresponding move in the Alexis Díaz trade. That guaranteed he wouldn’t be back for a while. The team presumably knew at the time that he was destined for surgery.
Phillips is one of a staggering 14 Dodger pitchers on the injured list. All but three are on the 60-day version. Kopech, Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen and Kirby Yates are all potential high-leverage arms who are sidelined. Kopech should be back soon, while Yates and Treinen are amidst throwing programs. Tanner Scott is the team’s top healthy reliever. Alex Vesia, Ben Casparius and Jack Dreyer have mostly held up in middle relief roles. Lou Trivino, who signed a minor league deal earlier this month, was quickly called up and immediately thrown into high-leverage situations.
There’s a chance this ends Phillips’ tenure in Los Angeles. He’s playing on a $6.1MM salary. He’d be eligible for arbitration a final time next offseason. That’d come with a similar salary to this season’s if they tender him a contract. A non-tender seems likely given the possibility that he’ll miss all of next year. The Dodgers are more willing than any other team to gamble on talented pitchers with health concerns. Even if they non-tender Phillips, they could subsequently try to work out a backloaded two-year deal in the hope of getting him back healthy for the entire ’27 season.
Knew this was happening when he was moved to the 60 day injury list.
I suspected, you knew. Guess that means you win.
I “suspect” Blake Treinan will get lots of save opportunities if he comes back healthy.
A suspect opinion.
Kopech should get the closers job.
Dodgers bullpen will be good with Scott, Kopech, Trienen, May, Sasaki, Casparius, Dreyer, Vesia and Sauer.
May and Sasaki aren’t going to the bullpen. As for Kopech closing, I believe you are overrating his performance. More likely, the Dodgers will continue to close situationally.
We have Kike Hernandez to finish games as needed. He did a nice job tonight. Secret weapon.
@bwmiller
I realize its only rehab tuning up but have you paid attention to what Kopech is doing in OKC? Can’t get anyone out yet. 8 hits and 10 BBs in 5.1 innings. ERA 18.50
May and Sasaki wont be in the rotstion when Snell and Glasnow return. Where are they going to pitch? Sasaki could be great in the bullpen, May is good in long relief / middle relief.
Ohtani
Yamamoto
Snell
Kershaw
Glasnow
Gonsolin
Thats how I see the depth chart with everybody healthy. May and Sasaki both look like good candidates for the bullpen to me.
No I didnt check it, that reminds me of Kopech with the White Sox. The thing about Kopech is he has the stuff, he hasnt handled the pressure to perform well, and their is internal pressure on the Dodgers team in regards to getting on the roster and getting innings. Kopech is a guy that once he gets comfortable in his role, he can light it up like he did last season with the Dodgers.
But that kind of pressure has dogged him his entire career. Now you’d say that doesn’t bode well for him to be the closer, but I contend that once he gets it going, and once he has a firm footing on his role, he will be a top flight bullpen arm.
I agree Kopech will be a strong BP arm. But probably not THE closer.
We all love Kersh but I think he will be the weak link if all others are healthy. And I think its a toss up between May and Gonsolin for the rotation. Unless Kersh proves strong, both Tony & Dustin would stay in the rotation.
Kike’s pose after his last pitch was hilarious. Sorry, Yankee fans, I know that was a lousy day for you — but Dodgers fans are probably looking at a future bobblehead.
I’m not a big Kopech believer. He’s trending towards being this year’s Phil Bickford or Joe Kelly. The numbers over the course of his career just aren’t very good.
BWM
Yamamoto
Snell
Ohtani
Glasgow
Kershaw-May back to back
Sasaki-Gonsolin back to back
Hmm.
Here comes the “Dodgers are ruining pitchers” complaints in 5..4…3…2
Dodgers are ruining pitchers
By making them get sub 2.00 ERA’s
How dare they!
Pitch for LA, Get paid, dont have to pitch
Pitch for SD, Get paid less, never win a WS.
🤣🤣
Hence the Diaz trade. Dang this sucks.
Dodgers champion pitcher breakers! Won the title back from the Mets.
Well the Dodgers have 2 world titles in the last 5 years the Mets have nothing so worth it
1.5
1.5 > 0
Come on, man, the 2024 title counts as a full title.
As if half titles exist….
Wire: please! Get over it.
1.37
True I’m also joking
Hate it for him. I always thought Atlanta gave up far too early on him.
Did they really give up on him? He was in the Gausman trade. Have to give up something.
Dodgers, scouting and development for pitching loves high velocity and big movement. They could really improve control and accuracy throughout the whole system still. The coaching staff also doesn’t help pitchers learn how to keep runners from stealing. The high leverage honey bun was a great waiver find. Hope he comes back better than ever.
And another one gone, and another one gone
Another one bites the dust, yeah…
Write out yet another Royalty Check to Tommy John for the use of his name.
That check gets made out to Frank Jobe, he is the one who trademarked Tommy John Surgery.
I am guessing that Dr. Jobe hasn’t cashed a check in over a decade….
It would be cashed by whoever in his estate assumed rights to the royalties.
Dr. Jobe, who I was lucky enough to meet along with Tommy John at a Baseball Reliquary event in 2012, never trademarked nor patented the surgery. Not sure where you got your info from.
The phrase Tommy John Surgery is trademarked, not the procedure itself.
Yet neither Jobe nor his estate receives any monies as you asserted in your previous posts. That’s all I was referring to.
And u know all this cus u briefly met him once? During this brief meeting did u guys do a deep dive into all his financials??
And no I did not assert anything, I replied to someone who had. If anyone has or does profit off using the phrase Tommy John Surgery, his estate has a claim for royalties on said profits.
By repeatedly belaboring an incorrect point( a simple internet search states Jobe did not trademark the term) , you are actually asserting yourself. I’ll let myself out by pushing the mute button now.
Again the surgery itself is not trademarked. You should have tried clicking on one of links after using Google. Why would u need to tho, u briefly met him once….
Another one bites the TJ Dust….Dodgers just lined up pitchers to injury list. what do they have 12-15 injured pitchers….they seem to be really good at this
The Dodger pitchers get injured more than Tampa Bay’s
Big loss., especially with how bad Scott has been.
I’m sure Friedman will look for some bum on the street that he scouted 10 years ago and hasn’t pitched in years.
And despite the pitcher carnage the Dodgers are in first place in the NL West with a record above .600.
Right? They’re playing the long game. Get their roster set by September/October.
I don’t know. I’d still like to hear what Rick Honeycutt and Dave Wallace would think and say after watching this current system. Just seems like pitcher after pitcher goes down since Mark Prior took over.
Prior’s life long goal is to get all his pitchers injured so everyone can be like him
Pretty sure Mark Prior is responsible for the Braves’ AJ Smith-Shawver’s torn ACL and Pirates’ Jared Jones & Enmanuel Valdez Season-Ending surgeries and Astros’ Ronel Blanco’s Tommy John and Hayden Wesneski’s Tommy John and Tigers’ Jackson’s Jobe’s injury and that’s just the past few days. Someone save MLB from Mark Prior.
He was also responsible for Justin verlander, Jacob degrom, Shane mcclanahan, sandy alcantara, and Paul skenes 2 years from now and Tarik skubal 3 years from now
He also was responsible for Tommy John’s injury in the 70s…
Prior broke Kerry Wood too. The first victim.
I twisted my ankle the other day. I blame Mark Prior.
Word is Prior was also hiding in Mookie’s bathroom.
Rumor has it Mark Prior never sleeps.
@bivouac-sal
Thank you! I just knew that darned Prior was behind AJ Smith-Shawver’s UCL injury.
Prior is also behind Bryson Stott hitting AJ with a Batted ball just prior to AJ feeling “a pop” in his elbow.
He just wants everyone else to have injury riddled careers like he did.
Jerk!
They have the resources to take these gambles. They, like every other team, have to find suitable replacements when injuries occur. Thought break for EP, dude is a heckuva moundsman…
TJ doctors are making their money this year.
Indeed. It’s a racket.
One positive from all of these injuries to the pitchers….Ben Casparius and Jack Dreyer have made the most of their opportunities and shined.
Correction: Ben Casparius is the Dodgers top reliever right now.
Sigh.
At some point the MLBPA has to negotiate for a less cavalier approach to shoulder and elbow surgeries and piling up the 60-day IL. The MLBPA has a responsibility to safeguard player health.
There should be financial penalties for multiple 60-day placements, the inability to non-tender someone who ends the year on the 60-day, and perhaps limiting the number of players who can be removed from the 40-man and placed on the 60-day (along with increasing the 40-man to 43 from Opening Day to 5 days after the World Series ends).
Dodgers staff gonna be FIRE……………in two years!
Teams would be less likely to sign or offer arbitration to risky TJ pitchers. Your proposal might actually hurt players.
Reliever being added to the trade deadline shopping list….
They got a solid 5-2/3 innings out of him this season. It only cost $6.1m.
Next.