LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Dodgers will enter the World Series without the man who started the season as the club’s closer and remains one of their most vital leverage relief options. Evan Phillips, who battled arm fatigue during the National League Championship Series, was not included in the Dodgers’ final roster.
Phillips had a 3.62 ERA in 61 appearances for the Dodgers this season and has never allowed a run in 12 career postseason appearances, including over 6 2/3 innings this October. The first sign of trouble came in the Dodgers’ pennant clincher against the New York Mets when Phillips entered in the sixth inning for what appeared to be a two-inning appearance but exited after just one traffic-filled inning.
According to a person with knowledge of the situation, Phillips has dealt with lat, biceps and triceps tightness for the past month, prompting the organization’s decision not to push the issue.
“Soreness, fatigue, we’re all kind of going through our own individual battles,” Phillips explained Thursday afternoon. “Some worse than others. We’re all doing what we can to be as close to 100 percent as we can be. … During the League Championship Series, I hadn’t bounced back as well as I had been earlier in the year, even earlier in the postseason. So just keeping the bigger picture in mind and keeping this Series in mind as the ultimate goal for me.”
Here’s your 26-man roster for the #WorldSeries. pic.twitter.com/Mhz5nbHsdm
— Los Angeles Dodgers (@Dodgers) October 25, 2024
Still, Phillips expected to be on the World Series roster. His exclusion comes as a surprise, and a major hit with the right-hander Phillips’ repertoire appearing to be a strong matchup for the Dodgers against powerful New York Yankees sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton. The Dodgers have survived this long in October in large part because they’ve kept their top relief arms fresh. It took entrusting unproven arms such as rookie Ben Casparius for the Dodgers to survive Vesia’s absence during the NLCS. Doing so against a potent Yankees lineup presents another problem entirely.
The Dodgers’ World Series roster does indeed include reinforcements. Alex Vesia, the club’s most consistent reliever, is back after suffering an intercostal injury during Game 5 of the National League Division Series. Brusdar Graterol, limited by shoulder and hamstring injuries to just seven appearances this season, is on there. Miguel Rojas’ torn adductor has held up enough that he could return to the roster.
The return of Vesia should help, especially when it comes to neutralizing left-handed slugger Juan Soto. Graterol, like right-hander Michael Kopech, is an equally potent option against left-handed hitters. His inclusion comes with questions of its own, including how sharp the right-hander will be after missing most of the season.
“It’s part of the math,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Thursday. “I think the other part is his track record in the postseason, how good he’s been, how good the heartbeat’s been. We believe in the person, the stuff.”
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(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
