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Jorge Castillo, ESPN Staff WriterOct 25, 2024, 02:30 PM ET
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the Washington Wizards from 2014 to 2016 and the Washington Nationals from 2016 to 2018 for The Washington Post before covering the Los Angeles Dodgers and MLB for the Los Angeles Times from 2018 to 2024.
LOS ANGELES — The Dodgers, with just three starting pitchers, will rely heavily on their bullpen to try to topple the New York Yankees and win the World Series. And they’ll have to do it without one of their top relievers.
Evan Phillips was left off the club’s roster, which was unveiled Friday morning ahead of Game 1 at Dodger Stadium, after suffering an arm injury during Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
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“Each day has gotten better,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said. “First and foremost, we’re not going to put him in harm’s way, and where there’s an ambiguity around it, it’s not clear. And the way the Major League Baseball injury rule is written, we wouldn’t be able to replace him in that it was something that was preexisting.”
Phillips’ absence registers as a significant blow. The right-hander didn’t allow a run in 6⅔ innings across five postseason games through the NLCS after posting a 3.62 ERA with 18 saves in 61 appearances during the regular season.
The good news for the Dodgers is Alex Vesia, the team’s best left-hander, and infielder Miguel Rojas are on the roster after missing the NLCS with injuries. Brusdar Graterol, who hasn’t pitched in the postseason, was also included. Outfielder Kevin Kiermaier, who was used as a late-inning defensive replacement and pinch runner in the NLCS, was left off the roster.
Vesia, who posted a 1.76 ERA in 67 games during the regular season, was not available for the NLCS after suffering an intercostal injury during the NL Division Series against the San Diego Padres in which he logged three scoreless innings. He was cleared to return after throwing 15 pitches in a live bullpen session Wednesday.
Shoulder and hamstring injuries limited Graterol to just seven appearances during the regular season. The playoff-tested reliever owns a 1.64 ERA in 22 career postseason games.
Rojas has been dealing with a nagging adductor that has kept him off the field since he was removed from Game 3 of the NLDS. The veteran began the postseason as the Dodgers’ starting shortstop, but his role could change given that Tommy Edman, the NLCS MVP, moved to shortstop and starred against the New York Mets, and Kiké Hernández continued his October excellence when given the opportunity to play every day after Rojas’ injury.
For the Yankees, Nestor Cortes, out for the past month, was included on their roster, replacing infielder Jon Berti from their AL Championship Series roster. Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Berti was left off the roster because he suffered a hip flexor injury in Game 4 of the ALCS.
Cortes, who hasn’t pitched since Sept. 18, finished the regular season with a flexor strain in his left forearm. He rejoins the club as a reliever, with a limit of 30 pitches, after making 30 starts during the regular season.
“I told them since the beginning that I just don’t want to be on this roster because it’s the World Series,” Cortes said. “I want to be able to contribute and make sure when I’m out there that I’m giving my best and close to 100% as possible.”
