Dodgers' Phillips to undergo Tommy John surgery

Another Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher is headed to the operating room.

Reliever Evan Phillips will undergo Tommy John surgery June 4 to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, manager Dave Roberts announced Friday, according to Dodger Insider.

Roberts said Phillips tried playing catch again within the last couple days, but the throwing session "didn't go well," per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.

The typical rehab time following Tommy John surgery is between 12 and 18 months. This means Phillips might miss the entire 2026 campaign in addition to the rest of this year. Next season will mark his final year of arbitration eligibility before reaching free agency.

Phillips was initially placed on the 15-day injured list May 7 with right forearm discomfort. At the time, the Dodgers were optimistic about his prognosis, with Roberts even noting the right-hander wouldn't need an MRI. However, Phillips did end up getting scans of his elbow a few days later.

The Dodgers had moved Phillips to the 60-day IL on Thursday following the acquisition of former All-Star reliever Alexis Díaz.

Phillips, 30, morphed into a reliable back-end reliever after the Dodgers claimed him off waivers from Tampa Bay in 2021. Since arriving in L.A., he owns a 2.22 ERA and 0.94 WHIP with 221 strikeouts and 45 saves over 201 regular-season appearances. The Maryland native didn't allow a run in 6 2/3 innings during the Dodgers' run to a World Series title last October.

His injury continues a troubling pattern of elbow issues for Dodgers pitchers. Phillips is the team's fourth pitcher to need Tommy John surgery since the start of 2024, joining Kyle Hurt, River Ryan, and Emmet Sheehan. In 2023, Tony Gonsolin also underwent Tommy John, while Dustin May needed surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.

L.A. currently has 14 pitchers - seven starters and seven relievers - on the IL. Other key arms missing from the bullpen include Blake Treinen, Kirby Yates, and Michael Kopech.

Tanner Scott has been the Dodgers' closer for much of this month and should continue to get ninth-inning opportunities going forward. Díaz, who was optioned to the minor leagues after being acquired from the Cincinnati Reds, could also be an option at some point.