The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Evan Phillips off waivers from the Rays, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. Tampa Bay designated Phillips for assignment over the weekend. The Dodgers later formally announced the claim.
Phillips, 26, came up with a big three-inning save for Tampa Bay over the weekend, helping to spare the bullpen and give some of the rest of the relief corps some needed rest. Baseball is often a numbers game for players on the fringes of 40-man rosters, however, and Phillips was reminded of that when he was designated for assignment the very next day. He’ll now join the Dodgers, who’ll be his third organization of the season in addition to the Rays and the Orioles.
Phillips has shown considerable strikeout potential in past MLB stints with the O’s but has also given up far too many walks to remain effective. From 2019-20, Phillips pitched 42 1/3 frames with the O’s and fanned 28.7 percent of his opponents but also walked about 14.4 percent of them. Between that and a sky-high .398 average on balls in play, he was knocked around for a 5.95 ERA in that time.
This season in Triple-A, Phillips worked to a 5.04 ERA with the Orioles’ top affiliate, but he also whiffed 35 hitters in 25 frames. He was sharp in 3 1/3 Triple-A frames with the Rays and was clearly impressive in his lone MLB appearance of the season so far. He averaged 96 mph on his heater in that brief look with the Rays and has a track record of generating whiffs with a slider that possesses above-average spin rates, too.
Phillips is out of minor league options, so it could potentially be a quick run for him with the Dodgers, too, given their own penchant for frequent turnover on the fringes of the MLB roster, but he’ll first hope for a chance to make any such decisions more difficult for the organization.
They might have been better off with Wilson Phillips, but I suppose more depth doesn’t hurt.
Well if things will go his way, he’ll hold on to a Dodgers roster spot for one more day.
Well done.
Bruhili gone or Greene?
I don’t see them DFA Bruhil. Maybe Nunez. That dude is awful.
All three need to go but the Dodgers seem to be running out of options. White and Uceta also need to be sent packing. Can’t believe that these five pitchers are in the active roster. Kind of tells you how badly the injury bug is hitting the Dodgers’ pitching. Subtracting these five and replacing them with Urias, Gonsolin, Duffy, Kelly, Kershaw, Gonzalez or Alexander will help.
Anybody who throws hard gets a shot at the Dodgers’ bullpen even if they can’t find a strike zone with both hands. We’ve seen dozens of them come and go over the years. When Urias and Gonsolin come back both are needed in the rotation. The pen will still be short and populated by nobodies who are here one day and gone the next.
Love how he’s a bum in Baltimore but if the Dodgers pick him up they’re geniuses
You mean like Justin Turner, Chris Taylor, and Max Muncy were bums?
I don’t think Phillips will be much of a factor for LA but I’ve learned to give this team the benefit of the doubt when it comes moves on the fringes.
Everyone made fun of the Pujols signing and his presence was exactly what LA needed.
why? he can’t pitch.
Throwing darts at a board. If only one sticks (Bickford) it’s worth it
Debatable if those darts have be thrown in meaningful games. The cost of those tosses can be very high. Better to have a reliable and stable bullpen than a dartboard.
Their bullpen is very reliable. I’m not sure what you have against the waiver claims Friedman makes. Every team supplements their pen with these types of players. They spent money to bring back Jansen when he was a free agent. They spent money to bring back Treinen who is elite. They spent to bring in Kelly who has been fantastic since his shakey start to 2019. The cost of those darts is not high as all. Phil Bickford was an absolute steal. 37 games and an ERA of 2.08. What more could could want? You wanted to classify Vesia as just another guy when he clearly isn’t. Yeah Jimmy Scherfy and Nate Jones stunk but they are off the 40 man roster now. Their pen is extremely reliable outside of extra innings which any team gets a mulligan for with the runner on 2nd softball rule.
bingo. this is not dart time. it amazes me that both reigning WS teams have gone uber-arm cycling with their final few BP spots.
Honestly, it speaks to how hard this season has been on every team in terms of filing innings
Orioles have the guy on the fringes of their AAA team forever, then the Rays and Dodgers, two teams (smartly) crazy about modifying bullpen arms’ usage, chase after him in short order. Guess they love those spin rates, but why didn’t the Orioles give him more of a shot?
Still a chance that Evan Phillips pitches to Phillip Evans….
Evans is in AAA now, but it could still happen.
So it is David Robertson replacing Evan Phillips. Robertson’s showcase with Team USA was about as long as Phillips showcase with the Rays. Dodgers chose Phillips. It remains to be seen if the Rays bet on Robertson pays off. Good luck to both.