The Dodgers had two notable absences from spring camp last year, Brusdar Graterol and Emmet Sheehan, neither of whom were able to pitch more than one inning (zero, in Sheehan's case) after reporting discomfort. Both started the season on the injured list, and things got worse from there for the Dodgers' pitching staff.
Of the 11 pitchers on the Dodgers' Opening Day roster last year who remained on the roster throughout the season (James Paxton and Ryan Yarbrough were both traded), none aside from Daniel Hudson stayed off the IL throughout the season (subscription required).
Evan Phillips, once an untouchable piece of the Dodgers' bullpen, spent about a month on the IL in May but also didn't pitch in the World Series due to arm fatigue. On Feb. 11, Bill Plunkett of the Orange Country Register reported that the issue actually ran deeper; it was a torn rotator cuff, and Phillips is currently behind schedule on his rehab.
Plunkett wrote that Phillips is a "very long shot" to be ready by the Dodgers' Opening Day in Tokyo, which means he may not be ready by their stateside Opening Day, either (subscription required).
#Dodgers Evan Phillips had a tear in the back of his rotator cuff that kept him out of the World Series. He got a PRP injection in November and didn't pick up a baseball until January. The likelihood is he will not be ready to open the season on schedulehttps://t.co/klLXWxNaLt
— Bill Plunkett (@billplunkettocr) February 12, 2025
Evan Phillips is still recovering from shoulder injury and won't be ready by Dodgers Opening Day
Phillips is one of four closer candidates in the Dodgers' bullpen this year, but Dave Roberts has already said that Tanner Scott will be getting most of the saves at the start of the season. It was probably always going to be Scott, the Dodgers' highest-paid reliever in 2025, but Phillips' injury could've made decision-making there (if there was any at all) a little easier.
He struggled last year, especially in July and September, but he also put up a 0.87 ERA in April and 0.73 in August, after coming off of two unreal seasons with the Dodgers in 2022 and 2023 (1.14 and 2.05 ERA). Some regression wasn't altogether surprising, but it was jarring to see him get blown up in July.
Hopefully all goes well with the rest of Phillips' rehab and we don't experience any more hiccups before the season even begins, but it's not entirely reassuring that the Dodgers are already getting bad news about a member of the pitching staff, especially after a year when injury updates just wouldn't stop coming.