Cody Snavely
With pitchers and catchers officially reporting to Glendale, Arizona, for the start of the 2025 Major League Baseball season with spring training, we are finally getting our first significant updates from multiple players within the Dodgers organization.
One of the first dominos to potentially fall in the Dodgers’ pitching staff is right-handed relief pitcher Evan Phillips, who will likely not be ready come Opening Day as he recovers from a tear in the back of his rotator cuff.
Phillips, 30, missed the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees due to what the Dodgers labeled as “arm fatigue” during the National League Championship Series against the New York Mets. Still, while not one hundred percent, the righty was adequate for Los Angeles, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings in October.
The news of the severity of the injury was reported by Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register, who stated that the righty had a tear in his rotator cuff last October and received a PRP (platelet-rich plasma) injection after the conclusion of the Fall Classic.
For a pitcher with a torn rotator cuff, the recovery time to return to throwing can typically take several months, ranging from 4 to 6 months up to a year, depending on the severity of the tear and whether surgery was required. By all accounts, Phillips has avoided surgery to this point.
This potential lengthy loss of Phillips has been cushioned thanks to the efforts of the Dodgers front office this offseason, led by President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman and General Manager Brandon Gomes, who added several impact bullpen arms this winter.
Phillips has been the Dodgers’ primary closer the last two seasons, but with the addition of lefty Tanner Scott and 2024 American League all-star Kirby Yates, the Dodgers should do excellent in that department.
Still, it will be hard to replicate the success of Phillips, who, since joining the Dodgers during the 2021 regular season, has pitched phenomenally, with a 2.28 ERA, 2.79 FIP, and 0.935 WHIP in 189.1 innings pitched and without allowing a single run in 15.1 postseason innings.
Have you subscribed to the Bleed Los Podcast YouTube channel? Be sure to ring the notification bell to watch player interviews, participate in shows & promotions, and stay up to date on all Dodgers news and rumors!
