Dodgers’ Mookie Betts will get x-rays on toe, Evan Phillips to undergo Tommy John surgery

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LOS ANGELES – The injuries keep piling up for the Los Angeles Dodgers, who now could be without star shortstop Mookie Betts, who will undergo x-rays for a stubbed toe, and now know for sure that reliever Evan Phillips’ season is over due to Tommy John surgery.

It’s been that kind of year, again. The Dodgers have now seen two of their former MVPs miss time, one because of a fall in the shower and another from stubbing his toe. That’s just where things stand for the reigning World Series champions, who have taken on water on the injury front once again despite their massive payroll and vast collection of talent.

Betts returned from the Dodgers’ six-game road trip on Wednesday and stubbed his toe at home, manager Dave Roberts revealed on Friday. The 2018 MVP, who has adapted better than expected defensively to an unprecedented shift to shortstop at 32 years old, was originally slated to be in the lineup against the New York Yankees, still. But when Betts struggled to put on his shoes without discomfort, Roberts scratched him and the organization is set to send him for x-ray testing soon to rule out a potential fracture in his left foot.

Roberts said Betts is “day to day,” though that would obviously shift depending on the results of the scans. The Dodgers exercised caution in April when Freddie Freeman aggravated his surgically-repaired right ankle taking a spill in the shower, adding fluke non-baseball related injuries to what has been a year filled with attrition due to injury. If Betts does ultimately require a stint on the injured list, it would be the Dodgers’ 19th IL placement of the season. Their IL list is currently 14 names long. They’ve played 56 games.

“It just keeps coming,” Roberts said. “It’s Murphy’s law. But yeah, this is a weird one.”

Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes did not speculate on the severity of Betts’ injury.

“We need to see the doctors and kind of get a better sense of it,” he said. “It happened pretty recently so it’ll take some time before we have a better understanding.”

Another domino has already fallen for the Dodgers in 2025, and for at least most of 2026, as well. Roberts said that Phillips is slated to undergo Tommy John surgery on June 4, ending a season that already started late due to a strained rotator cuff and lasted just seven scoreless appearances before Phillips complained of forearm discomfort. The 30-year-old, who was plucked from the scrap heap in 2021 and emerged as one of the best relievers in baseball ever since, attempted to resume playing catch recently and it “didn’t go well,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers had attempted non-invasive remedies, including a platelet-rich plasma injection, but ultimately settled for the surgery that had been forecast for weeks. Given the typical timeline for return, it’s safe to assume that Phillips will miss at least a significant portion of next year as well, his final season before he’s set to become a free agent.

It’s a brutal blow given the fact that the Dodgers are already down four other high-leverage right-handed relievers: Blake Treinen (forearm strain), Kirby Yates (right hamstring strain), Michael Kopech (right shoulder impingement) and Brusdar Graterol (right shoulder surgery).

“Obviously there’s guys going down frequently for us,” Gomes said in the wake of another glut of injuries a year after the organization called for an internal audit of its practices. “It’s unfortunate and it’s part of going into the offseason and having the mindset of building depth and being able to handle different situations, and it’s happened to us more frequently than we would like but it’s kind of the point of doing what we have done to be able to sustain these types of injuries.”

Yates appears to be trending upwards. The 38-year-old threw off the bullpen mound at Dodger Stadium on Monday, his first session since landing on the injured list. His right hamstring feels strong and is free of discomfort, he said. Kopech is still in the midst of his rehab assignment, but has hit 101 mph during his time with Triple-A Oklahoma City despite some ugly results (11 earned runs and 10 walks compared to nine strikeouts in just 5 1/3 innings). Edgardo Henriquez, who fractured his foot during spring training, also started a rehab assignment on Thursday and touched 101.8 mph while walking two batters in his first appearance.

The Dodgers also acquired reliever Alexis Díaz from the Cincinnati Reds on Thursday, just two years removed from Díaz being an All-Star. The right-hander has already reported to Arizona to work with the Dodgers’ pitching development staff, and Roberts said he “wouldn’t expect it to be too long” before he joins a bullpen that recently added the likes of Chris Stratton (recently released by the Kansas City Royals) and has relied heavily on non-roster invitee Luis García.

“From talking to our pitching guys and our performance group, we feel like there’s some clear pathways to get him back to being really good,” Gomes said. “What’s great is he’s been really excited and fairly open to diving in with our group. In general that’s been a good combination. So hopefully we get to work and we’ll see some positive results on the other side.”

It’s an example of the Dodgers being opportunistic in the midst of a competitive division race and a deep projected National League postseason field. It’s also an example of just how many blows this pitching staff has already sustained.

Gomes didn’t have much of a timeline for a return for Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow or Roki Sasaki, three big-name acquisitions the Dodgers committed a combined $325 million to over the last two offseasons. All three are currently on the injured list with shoulder trouble, with Glasnow the only one of the three to start throwing off the mound since landing on the IL.

“It’s all about maintaining big picture and making sure they feel good and are building a foundation on the front end, so don’t really want to put a timeline on it right now,” Gomes said.

The organization has pushed much of its rotation optimism towards Emmet Sheehan, who is set to move his rehab assignment to Triple-A Oklahoma City as he finalizes his return from Tommy John surgery. The 25-year-old struck out five teenagers over two innings at the Arizona Complex League in his first official game action, and could be a conceivable option within a matter of just a few appearances with Oklahoma City.

“I think with Emmet obviously we see him as a starter,” Roberts said this week. “I think you can argue three innings, you can argue six innings. So probably for us five is the floor. But when you talk about what our need might be at the time, if he’s the best (option) and health isn’t compromised, it’s a conversation.”

(Photo: Ronald Martinez / Getty Images)

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