Dominguez is expected to be part of a closer committee for the foreseeable future after interim manager Rob Thomson said Wednesday that Corey Knebel has been removed from the ninth-inning role, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
The closing change comes after Knebel blew his fourth save of the season in Tuesday's 11-9 loss to the Marlins while walking two batters and allowing three unearned runs. Thomson didn't explicitly say which relievers would be part of the closing committee while Knebel is used in lower-leverage spots, but Dominguez and Brad Hand look to be the clear top two candidates to pick up saves. Hand has more extensive closing experience and sports a 1.96 ERA over 18.1 innings this season, but Dominguez seemingly profiles as the higher-upside arm at this stage of their respective careers. After missing much of the past two seasons due to injury, the hard-throwing righty has generated a 1.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 26.9 K-BB% across 24 frames in 2022. Though Hand may be the higher-priority waiver pickup if the Phillies place more value on his prior resume as a closer, Dominguez still looks to be worthy of a flier in his own right.