LOS ANGELES -- Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips will undergo Tommy John surgery next Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said ahead of Friday's series opener against the Yankees.
The general timeline for Tommy John recovery ranges from 12-18 months. Phillips will be out for the remainder of the 2025 season, as well as a decent chunk of '26.
"It's surprising," Roberts said. "More disappointed for Evan, but he just wasn't responding to the rest and then [trying] to ramp back up. Ultimately, that was kind of the advice and the route he decided to go."
Phillips was placed on the 15-day injured list on May 7 with what was initially described as right forearm discomfort. The Dodgers were optimistic that it would be a minimum-length stint at the time, but two days later, Roberts said that an MRI revealed inflammation in Phillips' elbow.
Phillips was transferred to the 60-day IL on Thursday in order to make room for righty Alexis Díaz, who was acquired via trade from the Reds.
The Dodgers were hopeful that a pain-killing PRP injection would be the only medical intervention Phillips would need in addition to rest, but an attempt to play catch earlier this week made it clear that surgery would be the best option.
"As we started getting into it, it wasn't really responding," general manager Brandon Gomes said. "We felt like this could be a possibility. So as he got deeper into the process and it wasn't really getting better, the decision to do it was pretty much evident with our information."
The 30-year-old right-hander began the season on the 15-day IL with a right rotator cuff strain that had also kept him off last year's World Series roster. He did not allow a run across seven appearances (5 2/3 innings) while recording two holds and one save this year.
Phillips is one of five high-leverage Dodgers relievers on the IL. Michael Kopech (right shoulder impingement) is nearing the end of a rehab assignment and should be close to making his season debut, and Kirby Yates (right hamstring strain) is trending in the right direction after throwing his first bullpen session since going on the IL on Friday.
But the timeline for Blake Treinen (right forearm sprain) remains up in the air, and Brusdar Graterol (right shoulder labrum surgery) isn't expected to be an option until late in the second half.
The Dodgers are excited about what they have in Díaz, who will work with the team's player development group in Arizona before eventually joining the big league club. There are other arms working their way back to full health for L.A., too. Even so, being without Phillips for the rest of the season is a big loss.
"Any time you lose that quality of a reliever," Gomes said, "both on the field and the impact he has around the other guys -- obviously, it's going to hurt."