Los Ángeles Dodgers right-handed reliever Evan Philips will begin a rehab assignment Thursday, June 4 at Triple-A Oklahoma City, according to Alex Freedman, the Comets Communications Director. Ironically, this is the first anniversary of Philips’ Tommy John surgery. No word on how long he will be rehabbing, but it appears like the Dodgers are targeting some time after the All-Star Break for his return.
Some more notable items from OKC today:
*Evan Phillips has joined the team to begin a rehab assignment. Today is the one-year anniversary of his Tommy John surgery.
*Hyeseong Kim will start at 3B tonight — a position he played sporadically in Korea and not since 2020 (per BR).
— Alex Freedman (@azfreedman) June 4, 2026
Dodgers Reliever Is Finally Fully Healthy
The former Dodgers closer has struggled to stay healthy since the end of 2024. This elbow injury kept him off the World Series roster when Los Angeles faced the New York Yankees. The lack of location and velocity was a tell-tale sign that something was wrong. He sat out most of Spring Training last year before the right-hander tried a brief comeback without surgery. However, it didn’t work, and Phillips landed on the Injured List.
A New Beginning
The Dodgers non-tendered the right-hander at the end of 2025 with the full intention of bringing the right-hander back. They signed him on a restructured contract knowing that he wouldn’t be available for much of the season. Philips’ effectiveness has been undeniable when healthy. The underrated reliever who was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays in September of 2021 has a strikeout rate of over 11 per nine innings.
His two-pitch combination of fastball and sweeper has proven to induce a lot of swing and miss. This accelerated his rise to high-leverage situations and, eventually, to the closer role—a position where he accrued an impressive Earned Run Average of 1.30. If Philips can replicate anywhere near those results when he returns for the stretch run, the Dodgers’ patience will have paid off handsomely.
Some Ominous News
This comes off news that Brusdar Graterol is injured again. The right-handed reliever has not seen a major-league mound since 2024. He had major shoulder surgery and has suffered one setback after another. He surprised some by beginning his own rehab assignment at Triple-A Oklahoma City, only to injure his back. This week, the right-hander announced he underwent surgery to repair it. His return this year is very much in doubt.
On the other hand, Phillips, on the comeback trail, may be a boost that the Dodgers need.
Main Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
