Enrique Hernandez played most of the 2025 season with a torn ligament in his left (non-throwing) arm, and had surgery to repair the problem in November. Hernandez suggested during an interview with Adam Ottavino (tip to MLB.com’s Sonja Chen) that his recovery process will cost him “a month or two” of the regular season, but the Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes suggested a slightly longer timeline, telling Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya and other reporters today that the team expects Hernandez to be available closer to mid-season.
Hernandez’s elbow condition didn’t stop Los Angeles from re-signing the reliever to a one-year, $4.5MM free agent contract. Hernandez has not been placed on the 60-day disabled list, so the Dodgers may think there is still a chance he can return within the first two months of regular season action. Gomes noted that Hernandez will soon start swinging, which should provide some insight into the 34-year-old’s progress.
Some might argue that Hernandez only needs to be ready for October, given his history as a postseason player. The veteran has a .236/.305/.403 slash line over 4,152 plate appearances and 12 Major League seasons, but his postseason numbers (.272/.339/.486 in 328 PA) have made Hernandez a key part of the Dodgers’ three championship teams over the past six years
Gomes also touched Evan Phillips‘ recovery from Tommy John surgery, and his comparison to Phillips’ return as a trade deadline acquisition suggests the reliever should be back by late July. With Phillips undergoing surgery in late May 2025, the timeline follows the normal timeline for TJ’s recovery. Phillips himself told Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times that he intends to return with the Dodgers in August at the latest, with the aim of being completely ready for playoff baseball.
LA did not tender Phillips in November, but re-signed the former closer to a one-year, $6.5MM deal earlier this week. It’s a steep price for a pitcher who could pitch through a third of the regular season, yet the Dodgers clearly can afford it, and they’re counting on Phillips to regain his former key reliever status. Phillips posted a 2.14 ERA over 184 2/3 innings in Los Angeles from 2022-25, recording 45 saves in his time as the team’s closer.
Unsurprisingly for a pitcher from the Tommy John process, the market for Phillips was pretty quiet, as the Red Sox were the only team publicly known to be interested this winter. Phillips told Harris that “many teams kick the tires and enter” during the offseason, and negotiations with the Dodgers began to dominate in early February.
Phillips will not return to a closer role when he returns, due to the extended layoff and the fact that the Dodgers have now signed him. Edwin Diaz managing ninth inning duties. The three-time All-Star became yet another marquee signing of the Dodgers when he penned a three-year, $69MM deal in December, and the average annual value of his $23MM contract is a new record for a relief pitcher.
Diaz is headed to Los Angeles after a successful six-year run with the Mets, and many expected New York to re-sign him. The Mets reportedly made Diaz a three-year, $66MM offer, but Diaz accepted the Dodgers’ offer without giving the Mets “a chance to counter,” wrote MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. A source tells DiComo that New York is open to spending more than $66MM to keep Diaz, but another source “said Diaz’s camp didn’t expect the Mets to raise their offer in a meaningful way,” which is why closers settled on the Dodger’s $69MM contract.
Diaz’s decision affected Mets owner Steve Cohen by saying “confused,” as he told team broadcaster Howie Rose in an interview earlier this week.Obviously, it’s a personal decision on his part, and I thought we made a decent request.” Diaz did not directly respond to Cohen’s statement, but told reporters yesterday that “I think the Dodgers did a good job hiring me. At the end of the day, I chose to be here. I have a lot of respect for the Mets organization, the players, the staff, the ownership. They treated me very well. I have nothing bad to say about them. But at the end of the day, I’m here.”
