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Evan Phillips is still working his way back to form after returning from Tommy John surgery, per Dodger Blue. The right-hander surrendered the go-ahead home run to Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the bottom of the eighth inning of Sunday’s doubleheader nightcap at Yankee Stadium — a 97 mph fastball that Chisholm drove out of the park to give the Yankees a 2-1 win. It’s the kind of moment that stings, but it also tells a bigger story about where Phillips is in his recovery.

Phillips was one of our most reliable relievers before the surgery. In 2023, he posted a 1.97 ERA across 64 appearances as the team’s closer, earning himself a multi-year deal and the trust of an entire pitching staff. Tommy John surgery robbed him of significant time, and returning from that procedure is never a light switch. The velocity is back — 97 mph is right in line with his pre-surgery numbers — but the command and feel for sequencing are separate battles. Hitters at this level can time pure velocity if location isn’t precise, and Chisholm is exactly the kind of aggressive, pull-happy hitter who can make you pay for a fastball that catches too much of the zone.

Chisholm, for his part, has become a legitimate middle-of-the-order threat since joining the Yankees. He’s always had the raw tools — the power, the speed, the flair — and the move to New York gave him a stage where those tools play every night. That swing on Phillips’ fastball was a reminder that he can change a game with one hack. We already covered the game result, so I won’t rehash the full box score, but that at-bat is the one that mattered most.

The bigger question for us is what Phillips’ role looks like going forward. Coming back from Tommy John, most relievers need a runway before they’re truly stretched into high-leverage spots. The Dodgers have been cautious with several arms this season (look at everything happening with Shohei Ohtani‘s pitching workload), and Phillips probably deserves the same patience. He’s not broken — the stuff is there. But there’s a difference between throwing hard and pitching with the kind of precision that made him elite two years ago.

I think the front office knows this. Phillips isn’t going to get yanked from the bullpen or sent anywhere — he’s too important to our late-inning plans for the second half and October. But expecting him to be the dominant, near-unhittable reliever he was before the surgery right now isn’t realistic. The fastball command needs to sharpen up, and that comes with more reps in real games, not simulated work. It’s an uncomfortable process because the results matter in a pennant race, but it’s a necessary one.

For a team that’s already navigating Ohtani’s knee situation and Will Smith‘s neck shutdown, having Phillips not yet at full strength adds another layer to the bullpen picture heading into the trade deadline. We may need to add a late-inning arm even if Phillips is technically available, because “available” and “trustworthy in October” aren’t the same thing yet. He’ll get there — but right now, he’s still finding it.

Source(s): Staff (Dodger Blue) | First reported: July 20, 2026 6:26 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers