Phillies Promote Prospect Dominating Minors To Help Bullpen

"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 was speculation that McFarlane was being held in Double-A so that he could continue dominating and become a trade chip to use ahead of the deadline next month. Others said that he was gaining experience in late-game and high-leverage situations as a closer.

Whatever the case may have been for the organization to keep him with Reading for as long as he was, he is now set to join the Big League club to help them out. It is a promotion that has certainly been earned with his dominance in the minor leagues.

He has been blowing away Double-A hitters, allowing a .187 batting average against to go along with a 2.06 ERA across 32 appearances and 35 innings pitched. McFarlane has not yet made an appearance above Double-A in his professional career, so he will certainly be tested in the Major Leagues, but he looks ready for 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.

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