“Hopefully the road to recovery is smooth” - Dodgers closer Evan Phillips stays positive after injury, aiming for a swift return

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Evan Phillips has been put on a 15-day injured list due to a hamstring strain on Sunday. This has been a setback for the Dodgers, given that Phillips converted all eight of his save opportunities. He had a 0.66 ERA across 14 appearances this season.

Hopefully, for the Dodgers, veteran reliever Blake Trenin, who has done closing duties in the past, returned on Sunday.

While talking about his injury to SportsNet LA, Phillips talked about how he endured this strain and how he feels about the injury.

"Yeah, just a really strange, unique situation," Phillips said. "A cleat caught in the grass, and when I tried to extend, I just felt my hamstring pull a little bit, and fortunately it's about as mild as it can get, so hopefully the road to recovery is, you know, smooth and simple, and hopefully back in a couple weeks, but we'll just take it day by day for now, and then see how we progress."

Before Saturday's game against the Atlanta Braves, an MRI was conducted and it revealed a Grade I, or minor, strain. He will join fellow relievers Brusdar Graterol and Ryan Brasier on the IL.

Who will step up in the absence of Evan Phillips?

While Evan Phillips sits on the IL, the Dodgers will need to explore their closing pitcher. Available right-handed options include Joe Kelly, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen, as well as, left-handed Alex Vesia, who can step up if needed.

When manager Dave Roberts was asked who would perform the closing duties, he said:

“I honestly don’t even know," Roberts said. "We’ll see. I think it will be more of just managing the game and figuring out the leverage of the game and however the ninth inning falls out. We’ll just sort of try to win every inning and just manage the leverage.”

Among all the options, Treinen seems to be the best man for the job, having previously worked as a setup man for Kenley Jansen. However, since he came off an IL, he may not be hurried into a high-leverage role.