A veteran right-hander is providing much-needed support to the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen.
After making two rehab outings, the club’s big free agent acquisition has been cleared to rejoin the Big League roster despite not having pitched since June 13. It was anticipated that he would return during the Cincinnati Reds series; the team simply wanted to make sure he had some time to recover before making his last rehab appearance and joining the Phillies.
Returning him will help the bridge and bring the ball to Jhoan Duran, who is closer. Don Mattingly, the interim manager, hasn’t had many other pitchers to rely on late in games, despite Orion Kerkering’s outstanding performance.
Keller will be helpful; prior to the injury, he was finding his stride. Unfortunately, he is not the only player returning to the Major Leagues.
Alan Rangel rejoining Phillies along with Brad Keller
As the No. 5 starter in the rotation, replacing the ineffective Andrew Painter, Rangel has been reliable. In three appearances, he has pitched 13 innings with a 3.46 ERA and 3.89 FIP while striking out 12 batters.
It has been difficult to keep opponents off base, giving up 12 hits, giving up six walks, and hitting a batter. However, he has typically managed to get away without causing any serious harm.
The Phillies also optioned Seth Johnson back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley in order to make place for Keller, in addition to placing Trivino on the disabled list.
With a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings and dominance in Triple-A this season, Philadelphia handed Johnson a chance when they began rearranging the bullpen following Keller’s injury and Tanner Banks joining Painter at Lehigh Valley.
Unfortunately, he didn’t take full use of his chance. In three of his eight outings, Johnson allowed two runs apiece. In his five appearances without giving up a run, he didn’t give up a single hit, although walks were a big problem.
In 7.2 innings of labor, seven free passes were given. With just four hits allowed and ten strikeouts, some would argue that he was practically wild. However, his 7.04 ERA was insufficient to complete the task.
