The Dodgers entered the 2025 season with championship aspirations and a star-studded roster that looked nearly unstoppable on paper. But as the months have unfolded, the vision of a full-strength Dodgers squad has remained just a vision! Now that we know Mookie Betts has been sidelined with a foot injury, manager Dave Roberts has confirmed yet another blow to the team’s lineup, further dimming the prospect of seeing his powerhouse at its peak anytime soon.

Key reliever Evan Phillips is the next to fall. The gut punch has arrived in the form of Tommy John surgery scheduled on June 4. So, it seems like this will end Phillips’ season and will likely sideline him for most, if not all, of 2026.

“Dave Roberts said Evan Phillips will have Tommy John surgery on June 4. His season is over,” the Dodger Insider quoted the manager in a post on X.

Phillips started the season on the injured list after hurting his rotator cuff during last year’s postseason. The Dodgers didn’t activate him until mid-April. But after pitching in only seven games, throwing 5.2 scoreless innings, he landed back on the IL with forearm discomfort.

While Roberts didn’t seem too worried at that time, on Friday, he provided an update saying Phillips tried to play catch a few days ago and it didn’t go well. Will this prove too costly for the Dodgers?

Well, since joining the Dodgers midway through the 2021 season, Phillips has become one of their go-to arms in high-leverage spots. Until now, he has played five seasons with the Dodgers and has made 201 regular-season appearances with a stellar 2.22 ERA. This includes 45 saves and 221 strikeouts in 195 innings.

This year, he didn’t get much time on the mound due to injuries, but still managed to notch six strikeouts in limited action. So, that sums up enough about how important he is for the team.

While the fans are yet to recover from Betts’ injury, the update on Phillips comes out of nowhere. That too when the vital series against the Yankees is just about to start. But losing a pitcher like Phillips may speed up Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound.

Ohtani is now a necessity and not a luxury for the Dodgers

Remember when the regular season was about to start? The Dodgers were taking their own sweet time to get Shohei Ohtani back to the mound. Why? Because of their decorated pitching lineup. Well, when you’ve got names like Blake Snell, Clayton Kershaw, Tyler Glasnow, and Roki Sasaki, why rush with Ohtani?

However now, the situation has changed drastically. Snell and Glasnow are in IL, and now with Phillips’ injury, the bullpen is also affected. That’s where comes the need for Ohtani on an immediate basis.

Getting Ohtani back on the mound could be a game-changer for the Dodgers. While he is leading all hitters with 20 home runs this season, if he’s able to pitch every five days, it would give the Dodgers a major boost on both sides of the ball.

However, if the Dodgers are still skeptical about rushing Ohtani back to the starting rotation, could he be a good option for the bullpen? In normal cases, pitchers have their rehab by playing exhibition games in the minors, which Ohtani can’t do. The Dodgers cannot lose the hitting of Ohtani by sending him to the minors.

Hence, why not get him to the bullpen and get him ready for the starting rotation? This might help the team lower the impact of Evan Phillips’ injury.