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Evan Phillips is closing in on the start of a rehab assignment and says he’s “in a good spot,” per Dodger Blue. Phillips opened the 2026 season on the 60-day injured list and has been working his way back through what’s been a long recovery process. The fact that he’s approaching game action is a meaningful step forward for a Dodgers bullpen that has been absolutely decimated by injuries this year.

Phillips established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball during his time in Los Angeles. After being claimed off waivers from the Rays back in 2021, he transformed into an elite high-leverage arm — posting a 1.14 ERA across 64 appearances during the Dodgers’ 2022 campaign and eventually earning the closer role. He was a key piece of the 2024 World Series championship bullpen, and the Dodgers handed him a multi-year extension reflecting just how much they value him at the back end of games. Losing him to start this season created a real void in the late innings, one the front office has tried to patch through various means (including the recent signing of Edwin Díaz).

The timing matters here because the bullpen situation has gone from bad to worse. Phillips is just one name on a long list of injured relievers that includes Díaz, Ben Casparius, Jack Dreyer, Brusdar Graterol, Landon Knack, and Brock Stewart — all currently on some form of the injured list. That’s not a depth problem. That’s a full-blown crisis. The Dodgers have been stitching together late-inning plans with whatever arms are available, and it’s put extra strain on the guys who are healthy.

Phillips moving toward a rehab assignment doesn’t mean he’s walking through that bullpen door tomorrow. The 60-day IL means he wasn’t eligible to return until late May at the earliest, and rehab assignments typically take at least a couple of outings before a player is activated — especially for a pitcher coming off a significant enough issue to warrant a 60-day placement. But “in a good spot” is exactly what we want to hear right now. No setbacks, no vague timelines, just forward progress.

I think Phillips getting back could matter more than any trade deadline acquisition for this team. When he’s right, he’s a legitimate top-five closer in baseball — a guy who can neutralize both sides of the plate with that devastating slider. The Dodgers don’t need him to be a superhero. They just need him to be the anchor at the back of that pen so the rest of the pieces can fall into place around him. Getting him onto a rehab assignment in the coming days would be the first real piece of good bullpen news we’ve had in a while.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: May 27, 2026 5:27 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers