The Los Angeles dodgers activated Blake Treinen and placed Evan Phillips on the injured list with a right hamstring strain, retroactive to May 4.
Treinen has not been an active member of the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen since 2022, when he tossed only five innings. He missed the entire 2023 campaign, and was finally slated to return at the start of 2024. However, a comebacker to the chest during Spring Training resulted in a bruised lung and fractured ribs.
He spent the remainder of the spring rehabbing before joining Triple-A Oklahoma City on a rehab assignment. In the meantime, Gus Varland spent some time with the big league bullpen. Varland, 27, joined the Dodgers from the Milwaukee Brewers last season. He pitched three innings for the Dodgers in 2024, where he allowed one earned run on three hits and three walks with one strikeout.
But now, Treinen is finally ready to make his return. This is a massive boost for the Dodger bullpen, as Treinen was once seen among the elite relievers in baseball.
Treinen pitched 72.1 innings during the 2021 season. In that time, he recorded a 1.99 ERA, a 0.982 WHIP, a 212 ERA+ and 85 strikeouts compared with 25 walks. He was undoubtedly one of the best set-up men in baseball that season and was instrumental in their regular season success.
The 35-year old reliever struggled during his rehab assignment with Triple-A OKC. He posted a 10.38 ERA and 1.846 WHIP, but in only 4.1 innings of work. But he should still provide a boost to a Dodger bullpen that has been inconsistent this season with injuries to players like Treinen and Brusdar Graterol.
At one time, they were in the bottom half of MLB in reliever ERA, but have since risen up to No. 9 on these rankings. The Dodger bullpen has a combined 3.47 ERA this season. Treinen is ready for an opportunity to make his first real impact in nearly two years.
Dodgers place Evan Phillips on IL
Phillips heads to the IL for the first time in his Dodger career. On the season, he was 8-for-8 in save chances with a 0.66 ERA. In three seasons with the Dodgers, he is 10-8 with a 1.64 ERA and 34 saves in 147 games.
He is in his seventh season in the Major Leagues with the Atlanta Braves (2018), Baltimore Orioles (2018-2020), Tampa Bay Rays (2021) and Dodgers (2021-24) and he is a combined 11-11 with a 3.20 ERA in 196 games (one start). He was originally drafted by the Braves in the 17th round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
More must-reads: