The Philadelphia Phillies have one of the most reliable closers in Major League Baseball in Jhoan Duran, who has consistently shut the door in the ninth inning this season.
Despite Duran’s dominance, getting the game into his hands has not always been easy for interim manager Don Mattingly. While the Phillies’ starting rotation has carried much of the workload, the bullpen has struggled with inconsistency and has been stretched thin throughout the season.
Beyond Orion Kerkering, there have been few dependable relief options for Mattingly to turn to in late-game situations. In an effort to strengthen the bullpen, the Phillies continue to make roster adjustments, with another move announced before their upcoming series against the Cincinnati Reds.
According to the Phillies’ official X account, the club has optioned left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In a corresponding move, right-hander Max Lazar has been recalled from Lehigh Valley and added to the 26-man active roster as Philadelphia looks to reinforce its relief corps.
Phillies bring back Max Lazar and demote Kyle Backhus
Backhus gave up a run in his latest appearance for the team on July 6 in a 15-1 blowout loss at the hands of the Kansas City Royals. He was given a golden opportunity to assert himself as a potential key piece of a bullpen lacking left-handed options, but didn’t make the most of it.
Since returning to the Big League club on June 24, Backhus has made seven appearances, throwing 5.2 innings. He had a 7.94 ERA and 5.22 FIP, giving up 11 hits and issuing one walk to go along with five strikeouts. Two batters were also hit by a pitch.
A little bit of bad luck was baked into those numbers, as opponents had a batting average on balls in play of .455, which is incredibly high and likely unsustainable. Alas, he will be spending some time back down in the minor leagues to figure things out with a 5.87 ERA at the Major League level this year.
Lazar missed a large chunk of the 2026 season because of injury and has made three appearances with Philadelphia, throwing four innings with a 4.50 ERA. He has been solid at Triple-A with a 3.93 ERA across 18.1 innings of work to go along with 17 strikeouts.
A key part of the team’s middle relief last summer, Lazar has a chance to lock down a consistent role coming out of the Phillies bullpen that will assuredly be shaken up again at some point in the future.
Philadelphia is patiently awaiting the return of veteran Brad Keller from the injured list, and Dave Dombrowski could certainly be on the lookout for relief help ahead of the MLB trade deadline.
