So far, the Los Angeles Dodgers’ bullpen has gotten the job done. While their team bullpen ERA of 3.61 isn’t ideal, the Dodgers’ relievers rank in the top 3 in baseball in fWAR so far at 1.4. Despite their early success, some cracks have begun to show and some of those cracks have been Blake Treinen and Evan Phillips.

Phillips had been on the IL to start the season as his offseason program got delayed by rotator cuff issues that lingered from the end of 2024. As for Treinen, he was off to a decent start to the 2025 season with a 3.38 ERA across eight appearances, but reported some arm soreness a few days ago.

The Dodgers hoped that a few days of rest would be enough to fix Treinen and they would soon be able to experience a world with both bullpen arms active. Unfortunately, the team ended up placing Treinen on the IL with forearm tightness as the corresponding move to activate Phillips.

Dodgers activate Evan Phillips from IL, but Blake Treinen is taking his place there with arm troubles

We’ll start with the bad news first. You never want to see a pitcher go on the injured list with forearm troubles as that means something still feels wrong even after some rest. Treinen has dealt with some shoulder issues in the past, but his elbow has usually not been a problem. The team also said that Treinen is going to have a MRI, so expect more updates on his status in the coming days.

As for Phillips, he is one of the Dodgers’ best relievers when he is healthy. From 2022 to 2023, Phillips combined to average a 1.59 ERA across 126 appearances with exactly the kinds of peripherals you want from a high leverage reliever. One hopes that his somewhat down year last year was a function of his shoulder issues and that he is past them now.

For the moment, this roster move appears to be a relatively one-for-one trade in terms of present production. However, LA doesn’t have the bullpen depth to weather too many losses and losing Treinen for a long time could put the Dodgers in an uncomfortable spot in a hurry.