Evan Phillips ‘At Peace’ But Also ‘Disappointed’ With Tommy John Surgery

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Evan Phillips is undergoing Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, which will end his season and impact 2026 as well.

After missing the beginning of the season due to a pre-existing right shoulder injury, Phillips made his debut on April 19 and made seven total appearances for the Dodgers before he landed back on the 15-day injured list with forearm discomfort.

The Dodgers hoped rest and treatment could be legitimate alternatives, but even a PRP injection in the affected area was not enough to get Phillips to the point of being pain-free.

It was a difficult piece of news for Phillips to learn of, but he ultimately came to terms with his decision to have Tommy John surgery, via “Dodger Talk” with David Vassegh:

“It’s been a pretty heavy past few weeks. Ever since we got the MRI readings and that became an option, we started to explore what we can do in these next few weeks to give it a look and see if we can try to rehab it and see where we get. Ultimately, didn’t make much progress at all, so it kind of validated how the MRI was reading and what the surgeons were saying. I’m kind of at peace with it on that sense, having a clear direction forward.
 
“Just sad, disappointed, bummed I’m going to miss so much time and the opportunity with this team. But ultimately I know it’s what I have to do to get back to being my normal self.”

 
Phillips’ injury trouble began last October, when a right shoulder issue prevented him from pitching in the World Series. Upon further examination during the offseason, it was revealed that Phillips sustained a small tear in the back of the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder.

That injury carried over into Spring Training and caused Phillips to miss the beginning of the season.

Phillips has been a very productive pitcher during his Dodgers tenure, with a 2.31 ERA, 221 strikeouts and 44 saves in 201 appearances.

He signed a one-year, $6.1 contract with the Dodgers to avoid arbitration this past offseason. The right-hander has one year of team control left beyond this season before he is eligible for free agency.

Evan Phillips moved to 60-day IL

The Dodgers acquired Alexis Díaz from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Mike Villani. To make room on their 40-man roster for Díaz, the Dodgers transferred Phillips was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Trading for Díaz came prior to the Dodgers revealing what was to come for Phillips, but the move certainly was in response to what they already were aware of internally.