Evan Phillips is no longer locked into the Dodgers’ highest-leverage moments.
That was the message from Dave Roberts after Sunday’s loss to the Mets in New York, where Phillips gave up a three-run homer to veteran outfielder Tyrone Taylor in an 8-3 defeat. The blast flipped the game from a Dodgers lead to a deficit and saddled Phillips with his second loss in seven games since he came off the injured list on July 6.
Roberts said the right-hander will still be part of the bullpen mix, but the usage is changing for now.
"“Evan, I think I’ve got to give him some different situations," Roberts told reporters in New York after the Dodgers lost to the Mets on Sunday. "So I think that’s where it’s at.”
For a reliever who has been around longer than anyone else currently in the Dodgers’ bullpen except Alex Vesia, the adjustment stands out. Vesia joined the club in May 2021, a little more than three months before Phillips, though he also spent time in Triple-A in 2023 while working through struggles during the first season of MLB’s pitch clock rules.
Phillips has already been put in a few of the spots Roberts most trusts. Sunday was the third time Roberts used him in a game the Dodgers led by one or two runs, or in a tie game. The first came July 19 in New York, when Phillips entered an 1-1 game in the eighth inning and allowed a home run to Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Roberts said the trust is still there, even if the assignment is changing.
“I think some of it was probably just me really trusting him,” Roberts said Sunday. “And I really do trust him.
But there’s some work, some rust that needs to be kind of dusted off. So I think right now I’m going to kind of give him different looks and get his feet kind of under him and get some traction.”
Phillips said the issue isn’t physical. He missed the first three months of the season with discomfort in his right forearm, the same problem that ended last season with him on the injured list, but he said he feels fine now.
“Physically I feel great," Phillips said. "If anything, it’s just trying to stay on top of the scouting and matchup side of things and understand what I’m trying to do in certain spots. But I feel really, really close to being pretty dang good.”
Through 6.2 innings this season, Phillips has a 6.75 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.
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