Evan Phillips Still Dealing With ‘Fatigue’

The Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen has been without Evan Phillips for nearly two weeks after he was placed on the 15-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain, retroactive to May 4.

Phillips sustained the injury during pregame warmups when one of the spikes on his cleat got stuck in the grass while playing catch. It was a major blow to the Dodgers bullpen, but they have been able to manage nicely thus far.

The right-hander has also made progress and was scheduled to throw off a mound on Wednesday, but admitted he still deals with fatigue from time to time, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:

“There’s still a little bit of fatigue that sets in. I’m trying to rebuild that strength (in his leg),” Phillips said. “Each day has been a positive, a step in the right direction. So just continuing to stack good days.”

While the Dodgers hoped to activate Phillips off the IL as soon as he was eligible, manager Dave Roberts said it will be a little later after that:

“I know it’s going to be short term. But if I had to guess … when his IL time comes up, is it that 16th day? Probably not.”

While Phillips is going to need slightly more time than initially thought, it sounds like he will return to the Dodgers bullpen in the not so distant future.

The group has surprisingly fared well in his absence as they rank near the top in several categories over the last two weeks. Most notably, Blake Treinen has stepped up since returning from the injured list, and Alex Vesia has also performed nicely as a high-leverage option.

Daniel Hudson has been the primary choice for saves with Phillips out.

Evan Phillips 2024 season

Phillips was 8-for-8 in save chances with a 0.66 ERA, 1.55 FIP, 1.02 WHIP and 11.2 strikeouts per nine over 14 appearances. In three seasons with the Dodgers, he is 10-8 with a 1.64 ERA and 34 saves in 147 games.