Phillies Shuffle Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies have elected to shuffle their bullpen. José Ruiz has been designated for assignment. Additionally, Seth Johnson has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Ruiz allowed five runs on five hits in a blowout loss on May 31. The Phillies needed a fresh bullpen arm because of high bullpen usage recently. This is partly due to the Phillies playing a doubleheader on May 29 against the Atlanta Braves. Carlos Hernández was originally in line for a brief stint with the Phillies, but remains with the team. Ruiz and Hernández are out of minor league options. The Phillies now have an open spot on their 40-man roster. 

Phillies Shuffle Bullpen

Performance Considerations

This season, Ruiz has a 1-0 record with an 8.16 ERA in 16 outings. Ruiz has a 5.39 FIP along with a 2.00 K/BB rate. Compared to 2024, Ruiz has a lower strikeout rate and a higher walk rate. Ruiz spent time on the injured list earlier in May as well. Additionally, Ruiz also saw his HR/9 allowed rate and HR/FB rate increase compared to 2024. Ruiz had a 21.00 ERA in three May major league outings. To add, opposing batters had a .579 average and a .588 BABIP against Ruiz in May. Ruiz had a 1.00 K/BB rate and a 3.00 HR/9 rate in May. Additionally, Ruiz had a 33.0% HR/FB rate in May compared to a 16.7% HR/FB rate in March and April.

Need For Changes

José Alvarado’s suspension has necessitated some changes to start with. The Phillies have had to shuffle roles within the bullpen as a result. Johnson can help provide some length out of the bullpen if needed. This season, Johnson has a 2-2 record with a 4.91 ERA in 16 minor league outings. Johnson moved to the bullpen to provide more depth after four starts. Johnson has a 3.52 FIP and a 2.00 K/BB ratio this season. Johnson has an impressive 0.27 HR/9 allowed rate at Triple-A this year. The Phillies now have increased roster flexibility, which will be beneficial when Aaron Nola returns from the injured list.