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Phillies Demote Struggling Rookie Pitcher Ahead Of Reds Series

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Eric W. Bolin | Last updated Jul 4, 2025 2:00 PM ET

Mick Abel's first start in Major League Baseball looked like the stuff of a future Philadelphia Phillies rotation regular.

Things didn't go so swimmingly in each subsequent appearance and on Friday, the Phillies demoted the rookie right-hander back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They called up Seth Johnson in his stead.

Abel pitched six innings of five-hit ball with nine strikeouts and zero earned runs in his debut May 18 against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was sent back down to the minors shortly after because of the nature of the spot-start, but he returned in early June and wasn't the same pitcher.

In his last outing, Wednesday against the San Diego Padres, Abel worked just 1 2/3 innings, giving up five runs, all earned, on two hits and five walks. For the season, Abel carried a 5.04 ERA with a 1.360 WHIP over his six starts.

A lanky, 6-foot-5, 185-pound right-hander, Abel was taken 15th overall by the Phillies in the 2020 Draft out of Beaverton, Oregon. He ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the organization ahead of this season and pitched to a 2.53 ERA over 10 starts this year at Lehigh Valley.

Johnson, a compensatory first-round pick in 2019, was the Phillies' No. 13 prospect entering the season. He's had two previous stints in the bigs this season in Philadelphia, the second of which just two days ago when the Phillies were allowed to use a 27th player because of their double-header.

The Phillies entered Friday's Independence Day games leading the National League West by 1 1/2 games over the New York Mets.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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