Evan Phillips Downplays Concern Over Forearm Trouble

The Los Angeles Dodgers pitching staff continues to be ravaged by injuries, with Evan Phillips among the latest arms currently unavailable.

The Dodgers put Phillips on the 15-day injured list due to right forearm discomfort shortly after Wednesday’s game against the Miami Marlins began. He was replaced on the roster by Matt Sauer, who wound up completing a four-out save in the Dodgers’ big win.

While forearm trouble can be a precursor to Tommy John surgery, the Dodgers are optimistic with Phillips’ injury.

Manager Dave Roberts revealed Phillips had been dealing with some trouble and could have remained part of the bullpen but the Dodgers decided to err on the side of caution, as seen on SportsNet LA:

“He just has some arm soreness. It’s just not recovering. Could he have pitched today? Absolutely. I just don’t know, and no one knows, how he would feel going forward. So for us, it just made the most sense to IL him. Our expectation is on that 16th day, he’ll be back out there. So just more of a precaution.”

Phillips echoed much of Roberts’ sentiment and said he initially believed the soreness was part of his return last month:

“I thought it was just re-acclimating to the workload. I always felt good when I pitched, so that’s kind of where my disappointment comes in. I do feel like I can still contribute. But I think what it comes down to is we don’t want to mess around with something in early May.

“We don’t really have the luxury of giving me a couple days off to figure it out. We decided it was best to be cautious with it. We’ll get a deeper look at things over the next few days in Arizona and hopefully have a clearer idea of what we’re working with. But I think there’s a lot of optimism in the training room about what they’re expecting. Let’s just hope this is a quick 15 days and get right back to it.”

Phillips has appeared in seven games so far this year, converting one save and pitching 5.2 scoreless innings.

He began the season on the 15-day injured list but began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City in early April that spanned six appearances over two weeks.

Evan Phillips’ injuries

Phillips’ start to the 2025 season was delayed because of a right shoulder injury. The Dodgers classified it as a rotator cuff strain.

Phillips revealed during Spring Training that he suffered a partial tear in the back of his right rotator cuff during the 2024 postseason, which forced to miss the World Series. The full extent of Phillips’ injury not discovered until an MRI during the offseason.

The Dodgers and Phillips avoided arbitration for the 2025 season by agreeing to a one-year, $6.1 million contract.