When the Los Angeles Dodgers World Series roster was released ahead of Game 1, it had the expected inclusions of Brusdar Graterol, Miguel Rojas and Alex Vesia. However, with that also came the surprise of Evan Phillips not being part of it.
The Dodgers’ bullpen has been a major strength all season long and especially in the playoffs as a much-needed supplement for their lack of starting pitching. In addition to getting Graterol back in the fold, the Dodgers also are fortunate to have Vesia active after he exited Game 5 of the National League Division Series with an intercostal injury.
Getting two top-tier arms back became even more valuable with the news that Phillips would not be available for the rest of the season. It is a huge blow for the Dodgers as Phillips has been the ultimate bridge to Michael Kopech and Blake Treinen in the late innings.
“Obviously Evan has been a huge part of the success we’ve had in the bullpen. Getting Alex Vesia back and Graterol obviously is really big for our ‘pen. We’ve got a lot of talent down there. Even more than the talent of Evan, just the amount that he has poured into this, it’s hard for him not to be a part of this,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.
“I know he’s going to do everything he can with the guys in the ‘pen to get them ready, but obviously it’s really disappointing. But all of us are focused on the guys that we’ve added back, the guys we have down there, and the impact they can have.”
The trouble started for Phillips after his one inning of work in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series against the New York Mets. Even though Phillips’ health progressed each day leading up to the World Series, it was not enough for the Dodgers to confidently include him on the roster.
Further complicating matters was MLB’s rule for replacing an injured player on the postseason roster not allowing for leeway in the event of a pre-existing condition, like with Phillips.
“Each day has gotten better, but not to the point where, first and foremost, we’re not going to put him in harm’s way and there’s an ambiguity around it. It’s not clear. And the way the Major League Baseball injury rule is written, we wouldn’t be able to replace him in that it was something that was preexisting,” Friedman explained.
“So just balancing and weighing all of that, this is the decision we came to.”
Phillips was optimistic about his availability for the World Series, but it was never set in stone until it was seen how his body responded to increased effort.
“I wish there was a clear answer in this. It’s not. It’s one of those things that until he really ramps it up in any kind of intensity, we’re not going to know,” Friedman added.
“At the end of the day, the chances of that resulting in either him compromising himself health-wise and actually creating a much bigger issue or not being very effective or all of those things.
“Because it’s not a new injury, that’s the way the rule is written right now. It’s something that in the offseason I’m sure there will be more discussions around because there are gray areas. I think avoiding teams circumventing roster rules to gain a competitive advantage, couldn’t be more supportive of.”
“I think there are ways to work around this, but that’s not for now. That’s not the focus right now. For us, it’s about winning four games.”
Evan Phillips’ 2024 postseason stats
Phillips had some trouble in his last appearance with two walks, but has had a great postseason overall for the Dodgers. He pitched 6.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and provided extra value with his ability to get more than three outs. Out of five appearances, Phillips recorded at least four outs in four of them.
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