The Philadelphia Phillies are seeing promising results from a bold trade deadline acquisition.
After trading for shutdown closer Jhoan Duran from the Minnesota Twins last week, the Phillies have watched their new flamethrower set a franchise record for the hardest pitch ever thrown by one of their players. Duran has already picked up two saves in as many appearances and has not allowed a hit.
However, the Phillies may never have made a move for Duran if they hadn’t lost key reliever Jose Alvarado earlier in the season. Alvarado was having an outstanding year before being suspended in May for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy. His 80-game suspension is set to end in two weeks, though he will be ineligible for the playoffs.
Alvarado is set to rejoin the team at Citizens Bank Park on Tuesday for the first time since his suspension. As the Phillies plan for his return in the final stretch of the regular season, manager Rob Thomson shared his plans for how Alvarado will fit into the reshaped bullpen.
“I think (Alvarado) helps,” Thomson told reporters, according to Lochlahn March of The Philadelphia Inquirer. “But I think they’ve done pretty well without him, to tell the truth. We’ve won a lot of games without him, but he certainly is going to bring more energy, and he’s going to bring another really, really good arm.”
With Duran now in the mix, Alvarado won’t be utilized as a closer like he was before the suspension. Instead, he will join Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering as high-leverage options in the earlier innings. Thomson told March that he expects to “ease” Alvarado back into leverage situations as he adjusts from batting practice to facing hitters in games again.
“He’s not only a talent, but he brings so much energy to the field and the clubhouse,” Thomson added on Alvarado, per March. “It’s really good to have him around.”
It won’t be clear just what kind of role Alvarado can play for this team until he gets back into a live game situation. But if he can contribute and help keep the rest of the bullpen fresh for the playoffs, that will be a win after his suspension dealt a brutal loss.
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