Another day, another Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher ruled out for the season due to injury.
The latest bad injury news for the Dodgers is that star reliever Evan Phillips will undergo Tommy John surgery next week, according to manager Dave Roberts. Roberts did not give a timetable on Phillips’s prognosis, but given the usual 18-month approximate recovery time required of the procedure, Phillips miss the remainder of this season and most or all of 2026 as well.
Phillips had been placed on the 60-day disabled list concurrent to the Dodgers’ acquisition of former All-Star closer Alexis Diaz from the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the week. While Diaz has not immediately joined the Dodgers as he seeks to remedy the losses of control and velocity that have seen his once-flourishing career stall, the Dodgers spent approximately $6 million to bring him in, as the injury to Phillips created a vacancy at the closer spot that Diaz, if he gets his fire back, may be able to fill.
Indeed, vacancies on the pitching staff have been the theme of the season.
Dodgers’ Littany Of Pitching Injuries
Phillips is just one of 14 pitchers currently on the Dodgers’ disabled list. It is a list that does not include Shohei Ohtani, who still is not ready to return to the mound after Tommy John surgery of his own. With 11 guys on the 60-day disabled list, including front line starters Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Gavin Stone, the Dodgers are missing an entire rotation and an entire bullpen.
The Dodgers were hoping Phillips would be able to avoid surgery, and shut him down at the start of this month after only seven appearances. Discomfort in his shoulder had seen him miss the tail end of the Dodgers’ victorious 2024 World Series run, and he had returned to action only in April, whereupon the forearm problem began to develop.
When healthy, Phillips is an excellent closer. In the 2023 season, he gave up only 38 hits and 13 walks in 61.1 innings in his first season as the Dodgers’ primary closer, having recorded a miniscule 1.14 ERA in 63 games as a set-up man in 2022. Unfortunately, the Dodgers will not see the benefits of that for at least a year.
Stitching Together A Bullpen
In the absence of Phillips – and, indeed, everybody – the Dodgers have been trying to paper over the cracks. $72 million offseason acquisition Tanner Scott has been given the closer’s duties, but has struggled, and will relying on unexpected pick-ups such as Lou Trevino and Chris Stratton to fill innings.
Nonetheless, the Dodgers currently lead the National League West anyway. Their 34-22 record leads the San Diego Padres by two games, despite only winning five of their last ten outings, and veteran bullpen arms who have remained healthy (Alex Vesia and Luis Garcia) have paired with an impressive rookie (Jack Dreyer) to be able to cover some of the bigger spots.
The fact that the Dodgers to have been able to stay afloat despite all these injuries is, of course, a testament to their seemingly-unlimited spending power. Not every team with myriad injuries can just go and spend $6 million on a reclamation project such as Diaz. Financial clout notwithstanding, however, the Dodgers really have been dealt a lot of adversity with the incredible amount of serious injuries they have endured. And yet despite it all, the defending World Series champions are still among the game’s best.
Dodgers Reliever Out for the Season, and Possibly 2026 as Well