Evan Phillips returned to the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen in early July, but he’s mostly struggled thus far.
Phillips worked his way back from Tommy John Surgery, which he underwent in June 2025, and it can take pitchers some time to get back to where they once were. That has been the case for Phillips, who has now made seven appearances since being activated and allowed runs in five of them.
That included allowing a go-ahead, three-run homer against the New York Mets in the series finale, although two of those runs were charged to Jack Dreyer.
While the results haven’t been pretty, Phillips is confident he’s close to once again being an elite reliever, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“Physically I feel great. If anything, it’s just trying to stay on top of the scouting and matchup side of things and understand what I’m trying to do in certain spots. But I feel really, really close to being pretty dang good.”
The good news is Phillips’ stuff has been excellent and his body is feeling great. His fastball is averaging around 97 mph, and he’s still posted elite marks with his whiff percentage and strikeout rate.
However, he’s still adjusting to pitching at the MLB level again, and as a result, he’s thrown too many mistake pitches. Phillips previously said it takes time to get the feel back because you can’t simulate an MLB game during a Minor League rehab assignment.
The right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.75 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with nine strikeouts over 6.2 innings. Over his career with the Dodgers, Phillips has thrown 201.2 innings with a 2.37 ERA while striking out 230 hitters.
Dodgers set to get additional bullpen help
The Dodgers’ bullpen is close to full strength, and they have a few relievers who are making progress as they work their way back from injury.
Edwin Díaz is set to return to the mix on Wednesday and will resume his role as the closer. That gives the Dodgers a deep mix of high-leverage options, which also includes Tanner Scott, Alex Vesia and Brock Stewart.
In addition, Ben Casparius started his rehab assignment, and Blake Treinen is pain-free and progressing well in his rehab.
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