Phillies Have Glaring Bullpen Need to Address with Jose Alvarado Suspension

The Philadelphia Phillies were able to handle the Pittsburgh Pirates during their MLB rivalry weekend series, sweeping the three-game set.

Yet, the team comes away feeling as if they lost, with some unfortunate developments arising.

Veteran starting pitcher Aaron Nola was placed on the injured list with an ankle injury. In a positive turn of events, top prospect Mick Abel made a historic MLB debut on Sunday and outdueled reigning National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes in a 1-0 victory.

Nola isn’t the only pitcher the Phillies lost, as it was announced that closer Jose Alvarado will be suspended for 80 games and will not be eligible to play with the team in the postseason for the violation. He was suspended after testing positive for exogenous testosterone, which is a performance-enhancing substance.

That is a massive loss for manager Rob Thomson since the veteran lefty was as consistent as anyone in the struggling Philadelphia bullpen.

He had made 20 appearances, throwing 20 innings, with a 2.70 ERA and 25 strikeouts. Alvardo was doing a wonderful job with his control, issuing only four walks, and limiting damage with only one home run allowed.

The Phillies have some players on their major league roster who will need to step up in his absence.

Matt Strahm is now the No. 1 option when it comes to southpaws, with Tanner Banks being the No. 2. They could find themselves in more high-leverage situations, especially at the end of games, closing things out.

What Weakness Does Losing Jose Alvarado Create for Phillies?

That is a glaring issue for which Philadelphia must find a solution. Without Alvarado, they are dangerously thin on left-handed pitching options.

The only southpaw on the Triple-A roster is Nick Vespi, who has a 9.00 ERA in 9.0 innings of work, with six strikeouts and seven walks issued.

Walks have not been as big of an issue for him in the Big Leagues, with a 2.2 BB/9 ratio, as in the minors, where he owned a 3.2 ratio.

He certainly doesn’t seem like a viable option right now, but he did find success with the Baltimore Orioles at the Major League level in 2024.

He had a 2.92 ERA in 12.1 innings in 11 appearances with nine strikeouts and three walks. Vespi has 53.1 innings of experience at the highest level, but it would be a huge risk promoting him with his current form.

That could lead to Dave Dombrowski looking outside of the organization for some help in the near future.