Erstwhile Dodgers nearer Evan Phillips has barely pitched for the reason that begin of 2025. He opened that season on the 15-day injured record for a proper rotator cuff pressure, finally debuting on April nineteenth. Phillips solely made seven appearances earlier than present process Tommy John surgical procedure that Could, inflicting him to overlook the remainder of that season and all of 2026 so far. The Dodgers non-tendered Phillips on the finish of 2025, however finally re-signed him to a one-year, $6.5MM deal.
The truth that it was a one-year deal (and a $13.65MM general dedication together with the posh tax) recommended that the Dodgers had been assured in Phillips’ potential to return and pitch a significant pattern in 2026. That lengthy course of will now come to fruition, as Invoice Plunkett of the Orange County Register experiences that Phillips is presently with the workforce. In line with supervisor Dave Roberts, Phillips can be activated off the injured record tomorrow (hyperlink through MLB.com’s Sonja Chen).
Again in February, basic supervisor Brandon Gomes recommended that Phillips would return round late July, so his activation is available in a number of weeks forward of schedule. The righty has been on a rehab project at Triple-A for the final month, and the outcomes have been encouraging. Phillips has a 1.80 ERA in 10 innings over 12 appearances, together with a 28.9% strikeout charge. He’s strolling extra hitters than he must be, however he’s extra importantly again to full well being. Phillips four-seamer and slider, which he mixed to make use of over 75% of the time in 2024, are each again to their pre-injury velocities.
At his peak, Phillips was one of the dominant relievers within the sport. From 2022-24, he threw 179 innings with a 2.21 ERA that was seventh-best amongst certified relievers. He additionally ranked 18th with a 23.2% Ok-BB charge and earned 44 saves in that point. Having invested closely in his rehab, the Dodgers are certainly hoping Phillips can recapture that dominance via the rest of this season.
It could assist that Phillips gained’t be wanted within the nearer function. Tanner Scott has taken that job since Edwin Díaz went on the IL in April for free our bodies in his elbow. Scott had a 4.74 ERA final 12 months however has minimize that all the way down to 2.02 in 35 2/3 innings this 12 months. In the meantime, his 32.1% Ok-BB charge is third-best amongst certified relievers, behind solely Mason Miller and Jhoan Duran. With a dominant Scott already in place because the nearer, the workforce can afford to make use of Phillips in medium-leverage spots and, if all goes nicely, construct him as much as a high-leverage setup function come October.
Talking of closers, Katie Woo of The Athletic experiences that Díaz confronted stay hitters in a pregame session in the present day. It was Díaz’s first stay session since underdoing surgical procedure, and he reportedly got here away feeling “method higher than early within the season,” as relayed by Chen. Díaz felt inspired by the swing-and-miss on his fastball in the course of the session and hopes to be activated not lengthy after the All-Star break, based on Chen.
Díaz struggled in seven appearances earlier than the surgical procedure, permitting seven earned runs and 5 unintentional walks in six innings, though he did strike out ten hitters. Owing to the free elbow our bodies, his high-octane four-seamer was down 1.5 MPH from final 12 months. Now that he’s thrown a stay session, Díaz must be prepared to begin his personal rehab project.
Having set a report for a more in-depth’s common annual worth this previous offseason, there’s no query that Díaz will take that function from Scott upon his return. That can make Scott an overqualified setup choice and serve to increase the Dodgers’ already dominant bullpen. All six of the workforce’s certified relievers have ERAs below 3.60, and 4 of them have ERAs of two.60 or decrease. The bullpen’s 4.1 fWAR is tied for third-best within the Majors, and with the returns of Díaz and Phillips, the group figures to proceed dominating over the stretch run.
On the hitting facet, Enrique Hernández was one of many hitters dealing with Díaz in the present day. In line with Woo, the Dodgers proceed to be optimistic on Hernández’s restoration from the “important” left indirect tear he suffered in Could. As a result of that harm and his earlier restoration from offseason elbow surgical procedure, Hernández has solely appeared in two video games this 12 months.
Hernández, 34, is a free agent after this season. Final 12 months’s numbers had been the worst of his second stint with the Dodgers. In 256 plate appearances, Hernández batted .203/.255/.366 with a wRC+ of 70, indicating he was 30% worse than the typical hitter. He stays a succesful defender at a number of positions, so he holds worth in a depth function, to say nothing of his priceless clubhouse presence. Alex Freeland, who was recalled to take Hernández’s roster spot in Could, solely has a 77 wRC+ and is a candidate to be optioned when the latter ultimately returns.
Picture courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Photographs
