The Philadelphia Phillies are urgently searching for bullpen reinforcements as they prepare for the final stretch of the regular season.
Strengthening the relief corps has become Dave Dombrowski’s top priority ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The need became even more pressing after veteran reliever Brad Keller suffered a UCL injury, leaving another significant gap in the pitching staff.
Although Dombrowski is expected to explore the trade market for bullpen upgrades, the Phillies are first turning to an internal option. According to Minor_League_News on X, the organization is promoting right-handed pitcher from Double-A Reading to the major league roster.
The promotion comes just days after interim manager Don Mattingly was asked about the possibility of the hard-throwing reliever joining the Phillies’ bullpen. At the time, however, Mattingly offered little insight into the team’s plans regarding McFarlane.
Phillies promoting Alex McFarlane to MLB
“Until I start hearing his name, he’s not really an option at this point,” Mattingly said to Phillies on SI. “Anyone that’s on the roster always ends up being a possibility.”
There had been plenty of speculation surrounding why Alex McFarlane remained at Double-A despite his impressive performances. Some believed the Phillies were keeping him there to continue boosting his value as a potential trade asset ahead of next month’s deadline, while others felt the organization wanted him to gain more experience handling late-inning, high-pressure situations as a closer.
Regardless of the reasoning behind the decision to leave him in Reading, the Phillies have now decided the time is right to give him his first opportunity in the major leagues. His promotion comes after months of outstanding production and is widely viewed as a well-deserved reward for his dominance in the minors.
McFarlane has overwhelmed Double-A hitters this season, limiting opponents to a .187 batting average while posting a 2.06 ERA over 32 appearances spanning 35 innings. Although he has yet to pitch above the Double-A level during his professional career, the hard-throwing right-hander now gets the chance to prove himself on baseball’s biggest stage and appears well-equipped to handle the challenge.
This is a smart move by the Phillies to see what McFarlane can offer them at the highest level. Should he hit the ground running, it will change their plans ahead of the MLB trade deadline; they will no longer need to add multiple relief pitchers and could focus on other needs, such as a right-handed hitter and starting pitcher.
With McFarlane set to make his Big League debut, all eyes will turn to 2025 first-round pick Gage Wood next. A promotion to the MLB seems unlikely since he hasn’t thrown more than 70 pitches or five innings in an outing, with the team monitoring his innings.
Also, Mattingly hasn’t heard anything about him helping at the Major League level. But that was also the case with McFarlane, and he is now on his way to Philadelphia just days later.
