Evan Phillips needs Tommy John surgery as Dodgers bullpen takes huge hit

The Dodgers have lost yet another arm this season.Reliever Evan Phillips will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts announced Friday.Phillips, 30, made just seven appearances for Los Angeles this season before being placed on the injured list May 7 for elbow inflammation.During his time on the injured list, Phillips was unable to resume playing catch, with Roberts saying earlier this week that he was starting to get worried about his injury.“It’s starting to get a little concerning,” Roberts told reporters.“I don’t know how long we can give it until he can attempt to start playing catch again.

I’m getting a little kind of concerned, but hoping for the best.”Phillips has pitched in three full seasons with the Dodgers after being traded to Los Angeles midway through the 2021 campaign.During his time in Los Angeles, Phillips has posted a 2.22 ERA and 221 strikeouts through 201 appearances, becoming one of the most coveted relievers in the Dodgers’ bullpen.Phillips started this season without giving up a run, posting six strikeouts in 5 ⅔ innings before his injury.Phillips going down is the latest blow to the slew of injuries to the Dodgers’ pitching staff, as they are currently without 13 arms in just the second month of the 2025 season.Rookie Roki Sasaki landed on the IL earlier this month with a right shoulder impingement and is expected to begin throwing within the next week, according to ESPN.“Our goal is to get him healthy, get him strong, make sure the delivery is sound and get him to pitch for us,” Roberts told reporters earlier this month.“He hasn’t been as productive as he would have liked because he was compromised and so that’s kind of enlightening to all of us.”Outside of their rotation, Dodgers star Mookie Betts also was scratched from Friday’s game against the Yankees with a stubbed toe.Roberts said that Betts, 32, will be considered day-to-day and will have X-rays taken on his toe.In an...