Phillips pitched in 7 of LA’s 14 games since getting activated from IL with shoulder injury. Matt Sauer recalled from Oklahoma City.
Matt Sauer was in fact called up by the Dodgers on Wednesday, but the corresponding move was Evan Phillips was placed on the 15-day injured list with right forearm discomfort.
Phillips already missed the first 21 games of this season on the injured list while dealing with a right rotator cuff strain in his shoulder suffered during the 2024 postseason.
The veteran right-hander did not allow a run in any of his first seven games this season, striking out six with two walks in 5⅔ innings. He earned the save in Monday’s series opener against the Marlins with a scoreless ninth inning.
The roster move was announced after Wednesday’s game started. After the game, manager Dave Roberts was optimistic about the timetable for Phillips.
“He’s just had some arm soreness, it’s just not recovering. Could he have pitched today? Absolutely. I just don’t know, no one knows how he would feel responding going forward,” Roberts said, as shown on SportsNet LA. “For us, it made the most sense to IL him. Our expectation is that on that 16th day, he’ll be back active.”
Fourteen different Dodgers pitchers have been placed on the injured list in 2025.
Sauer was optioned to Triple-A on April 30, and could not have been called back up unless replacing an injured player. He did not pitch in the last week for Oklahoma City, and was originally scheduled to start for the Comets on Wednesday until those plans were scrapped due to heavy bullpen usage recently by the Dodgers.
Sauer’s last game pitched was for the Dodgers, throwing five innings in bulk relief on April 29 against the Marlins at Dodger Stadium. He struck out four and allowed one run in the game to earn his first major league victory.
This was the second pitching roster move by the Dodgers on getaway day in Miami, with Landon Knack called up to start on Wednesday and reliever J.P. Feyereisen optioned to Oklahoma City.