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.
“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.”
The days leading up to the 2025 NHL trade deadline were a furious final sprint as contenders looked to stock up for a postseason run while rebuilding clubs added prospects and draft capital.
After the overnight Brock Nelson blockbuster Thursday, Friday lived up to expectations, with Mikko Rantanen, Brad Marchand and other high-profile players finishing the day on different teams than they started with. All told, NHL teams made 24 trades on deadline day involving 47 players.
Which teams and players won the day? Who might not feel as well about the situation after trade season? Reporters Ryan S. Clark, Kristen Shilton and Greg Wyshynski identify the biggest winners and losers of the 2025 NHL trade deadline:
There are some who saw what the Carolina Hurricanes did at the trade deadline — or perhaps failed to do after they traded Mikko Rantanen — and believe they’re cooked when it comes to the Stanley Cup playoffs. However, based on the projections from Stathletes, the Canes remain the team with the highest chances of winning the Cup, at 16.7%.
Standing before them on Sunday are the Winnipeg Jets (5 p.m. ET, ESPN+). The Jets had a relatively quiet deadline, adding Luke Schenn and Brandon Tanev, though sometimes these additions are the types of small tweaks that can push a contender over the edge. As it stands, the Jets enter their showdown against the Canes with the sixth-highest Cup chances, at 8.7%.
Carolina has made two trips to the Cup Final: a loss to the Detroit Red Wings in 2002 and a win over the Edmonton Oilers in 2006. The Canes have reached the conference finals three times since (2009, 2019, 2023). Winnipeg has yet to make the Cup Final, and was defeated 4-1 in the 2018 Western Conference finals by the Vegas Golden Knights in the club’s lone trip to the penultimate stage.
Both clubs are due. Will this be their year?
There is a lot of runway left until the final day of the season on April 17, and we’ll help you keep track of it all here on the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide detail on all the playoff races — along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.
Points: 43 Regulation wins: 12 Playoff position: N/A Games left: 17 Points pace: 54.3 Next game: vs. NSH (Tuesday) Playoff chances: ~0% Tragic number: 8
Race for the No. 1 pick
The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the draw for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process can be found here. Sitting No. 1 on the draft board for this summer is Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters.
Hintz extended his stick toward Henrique, whose wrist shot sent the puck under Hintz’s visor during his club’s 5-4 loss to the Oilers. He was on the ice, with his face in a towel, as the team’s medical staff assessed him and helped him skate toward the dressing room.
After the loss, Dallas coach Peter DeBoer said Hintz was at a local hospital, receiving tests. The coach added that the initial report was fairly optimistic for Hintz, 28, who has 25 goals and 52 points.
“Everyone’s optimistic that it’s not ‘serious, serious,'” DeBoer said. “But we won’t know until we get testing.”
The short-handed Stars rallied from a 5-1 deficit before eventually losing. Trade deadline acquisition Mikko Rantanen had a goal and an assist in his debut for Dallas, which had its four-game winning streak stopped. Wyatt Johnston, Jamie Benn and Matt Dumba also scored for the Stars.