Phillies claim Dylan Covey off waivers from the Dodgers

Dylan Covey’s impressive emergency fill-in for the Dodgers on Wednesday earned him another major league gig. The veteran right-hander was claimed off waivers by the Phillies on Saturday.

The Dodgers called up Covey from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday after a few days of heavy relief work by the team. He was pressed into immediate duty when Dustin May injured his right elbow and left his start after only one inning. Covey allowed one run through his first four innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth. Joey Gallo homered, then the Twins loaded the bases with nobody out, ending Covey’s outing. Victor González stranded all three runners.

Covey was designated for assignment on Thursday as the Dodgers needed more fresh arms. It’s been a running theme all week.

The right-hander joins a Phillies team that’s lost five in a row, with a 5.36 staff ERA in May and a 5.06 starting rotation ERA on the season.

The 31-year-old Covey had a 4.22 ERA in 32 innings this season with Triple-A Oklahoma City, with 28 strikeouts and 18 walks. He signed a minor league deal with the Dodgers in January after pitching two years for Rakuten in the the Chinese Professional Baseball League.

Covey played high school baseball at Maranatha in Pasadena, nine miles from Dodger Stadium, which made Wednesday’s outing even more important for him.

“It was really special. I grew up 15 minutes up the road, I grew up a Dodger fan,” Covey told reporters after the game, per SportsNet LA. “A couple years ago I didn’t ever think I’d ever be back in this situation. It’s really special playing for my hometown team. My family’s here and got to see me, it’s just special.”