Phillies Activate Brad Keller Along With Another Surprising Move

As shared by Lochlahn March on X, Philadelphia has made multiple moves with its pitching staff. Lou Trivino is heading to the injured list with right thoracic muscle spasm, retroactive to July 7.

Taking his spot on the roster will be Alan Rangel. Sent down after his most recent outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 2, he is set to start Game 2 of the series against the Reds and will be opposed by their star, Chase Burns.

Rangel has been solid as the No. 5 starter in the rotation, taking the place of the ineffective Andrew Painter. He has thrown 13 innings in three outings with a 3.46 ERA and 3.89 FIP, striking out 12.

There have been some struggles keeping opponents off base, allowing 12 hits, issuing six walks and hitting a batter. But he has more often than not escaped without any major damage being done.

Along with Trivino heading on the injured list, the other move the Phillies made to make room for Keller’s arrival was to option Seth Johnson back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Dominant in Triple-A this season with a 1.33 ERA in 27 innings, Philadelphia gave Johnson a shot when they started shaking up the bullpen after Keller was injured and Tanner Banks joined Painter at Lehigh Valley.

Alas, he was unable to make the most of his opportunity. Johnson made eight appearances and gave up two runs apiece in three of them. He didn’t allow a single hit in the five outings he had without allowing a run, but walks were a major issue.

Seven free passes were issued in 7.2 innings of work. Some would say that he was effectively wild, racking up 10 strikeouts in the process and only allowing four hits. But his 7.04 ERA was not going to get the job done.

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