Dodgers Re-Sign Evan Phillips, Designate Ben Rortvedt

Phillips Returns, Rortvedt Moves On

The Los Angeles Dodgers have made their moves in free agency and roster management, re-signing reliever Evan Phillips to a one-year contract worth $6.5 million and designating catcher Ben Rortvedt for assignment.

Phillips’ Return

You might think this is new, but… not really. Phillips was non-tendered by the Dodgers in November after undergoing Tommy John surgery late last May. Yet here he is back on a deal that, while steep given the risk, keeps him as an important midseason option for L.A.

Phillips, 31, came to the Dodgers via a 2021 waiver claim out of the Rays organization.

A then-27-year-old Phillips erupted in 2022 with 63 innings pitched at a microscopic 1.14 ERA. He set down 33% of opponents on strikes and walked only 6.4%, averaging better than 96 mph on his four-seamer and sinker alike. His 2025 campaign got out to a strong start as well, with 5 2/3 shutout frames and six strikeouts.

However, Phillips hit the injured list early in the year, requiring Tommy John surgery that will sideline him for 13 to 14 months, likely until around the All-Star break.

If he returns on schedule, he’ll be a prominent midseason boon to the bullpen—a deal effectively similar to picking up a high-impact reliever ahead of the trade deadline.

Phillips’ 2025 campaign got out to a strong start as well, with 5 2/3 shutout frames and six strikeouts. Phillips hit the injured list early in the year, however, and by late May the team announced that he’d require Tommy John procedure, sidelining him for what’ll likely be 13 to 14 months.

Rortvedt’s Move

Meanwhile, catcher Ben Rortvedt is on the move. He was designated for assignment to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The Dodgers placed him on waivers, hoping he’d clear and be stashed in Triple-A Oklahoma City as upper-level depth.

Rortvedt ended the season on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster and quickly inked a $1.25 million deal to avoid arbitration.

He has enough service time to reject an outright assignment but not enough to do so while retaining his guaranteed salary. The Reds scooped Rortvedt up, carrying him on the 40-man roster for much of the offseason before he was DFA’d earlier this month.

For now, the Dodgers are hoping to pass him through waivers within one week. Rortvedt is a plus defender behind the plate whose keen eye typically lends itself to strong walk rates.

However, he’s strikeout-prone and consistently hits for a low average, with little in-game power. He’s a career .190/.279/.270 hitter in 633 MLB plate appearances and a .239/.328/.412 hitter in 574 Triple-A plate appearances.

So there you have it—a re-signing that comes with risk but potential reward, and a player who might just find his way back into the Dodgers’ organization through waivers or trade. The real story is always in the details, which these moves certainly provide.