Thompson acknowledged Wednesday that he'll likely be used in a relief role this season, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports. "[The coaching staff hasn't] really outright told me, but I think everybody knows," Thompson said, regarding his move to the bullpen. "They think the slider and split can work in short periods, miss bats and get ground balls. They've built up my pitch count a little bit, so if something happens I can still [start]. I'm fine with it. Anything that can get me in the big leagues and stay I'd be willing to do."
When it became apparent about a month ago that Thompson was a long shot to crack the Opening Day rotation, the Phillies began deploying the right-hander in the later innings of their Grapefruit League games and haven't wavered in his usage, despite the team having since lost starting candidates Jerad Eickhoff (lat) and Mark Leiter (forearm) to injury. Since the team is apparently content with the rotation-depth options already on hand, Thompson will continue to prep for late-game work, with his past experience as a starter likely allowing him to cover multiple innings out of the bullpen when needed. Though no major conclusions can be taken from the 1.64 ERA Thompson has accrued through 11 spring innings, he should notice significantly better results this season while his fastball velocity ticks up and he increases the usage of his slider, which was regarded as a plus pitch for the right-hander during his time in the minors.