MLB Player News

Pivetta was optioned off the Phillies' active roster Tuesday.

Pivetta failed to earn a rotation spot this summer and now doesn't have a bullpen job either. It's not hard to see why, as he's allowed 10 runs in 5.2 innings of work across three relief appearances this season. He'll need to figure things out at the Phillies' alternate training site if he's to earn another chance.

Brogdon's contract was selected by the Phillies on Tuesday.

The Phillies made several changes to their struggling bullpen Tuesday, bringing up Brogdon and Blake Parker to replace Nick Pivetta and Trevor Kelley. Brogdon is purely a relief prospect but has at least a modest amount of upside, as he produced a 35.8 percent strikeout rate and an 8.1 percent walk rate across the three highest levels of the minors last season, leading to a 2.61 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. It would be a surprise to see him pitching in important spots right away, though, even with the scarcity of reliable options in the Phillies' bullpen.

Strop was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained right groin Tuesday.

The move was made retroactive to Saturday, so Strop could return as soon as next Monday, though it's not clear whether or not he'll be able to do so, as previous reports indicated that he was set to miss an extended period. Josh VanMeter was recalled in a corresponding move.

Wilson was recalled by the Braves on Tuesday.

Wilson will take Sean Newcomb's spot on the roster after the lefty was optioned following an awful outing against the Phillies on Monday, though it's not yet clear if he'll be taking Newcomb's spot in the rotation. Wilson has some prospect pedigree but has yet to put things together in a small sample of 27 big-league innings, posting a 7.00 ERA while striking out 17.5 percent of opposing batters and walking 12.7 percent.

Poweranz earned the save Monday against the Dodgers after tossing a perfect ninth inning.

Pomeranz didn't record a single strikeout in his lone inning of work, but he still recorded the three outs easily -- he got Max Muncy to fly out, Chris Taylor to ground out, and A.J. Pollock to pop out. Pomeranz has been perfect in save opportunities (3-for-3) and is yet to allow a run in eight appearances (7.1 innings) while posting a 10:3 K:BB this season.

Young is a candidate to fill in for the injured Madison Bumgarner (back), Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

The Diamondbacks placed Bumgarner on the 10-day injured list Monday, and manager Torey Lovullo mentioned the left-handed Young along with right-handers Taylor Clarke and Taylor Widener as possible replacements. The manager said he's not in a hurry to name a replacement, but the Diamondbacks need to have someone in place by Aug. 18 versus Oakland, when Arizona requires a fifth starter. Young was needed for two innings Monday in Colorado, picking up the win in relief. He has a 3.00 ERA with nine strikeouts and two walks over nine frames out of the bullpen.

Manager Jayce Tingler said after Monday's game that Yates has "soreness in his body," AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports. However, Tingler said there's still a "great chance [Yates]'ll be in there" for the next save opportunity.

Drew Pomeranz got the save chance Monday and shut the door on the Dodgers on 12 pitches to earn his third save of the season. Yates struggled in his first few appearances, though there was no mention of an injury at the time, with the right-hander pointing instead to some mechanical issues. Apparently Yates is ailing a bit after all, and Tingler said they're "not going to push it," but if the skipper is to be taken at his word, it's not something that's a threat to push Yates to the IL.

Both Howard and Vince Velasquez are preparing to start Friday against the Mets, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

The pitchers both started one half of Sunday's doubleheader against the Braves, so both will be on schedule to start Friday. The team has yet to announce who will start the game, though it's quite possible the pair is used in a piggyback role. The Phillies lost a week of games early in the season due to their potential exposure to the Marlins' coronavirus outbreak, so they're expected to have quite a few doubleheaders over the course of the season, meaning they'll frequently need six starters. Piggybacking the pair would keep both stretched out for when a six-man rotation is needed, such as next week, when the Phillies play a doubleheader against the Blue Jays on Aug. 20.

Arano (shoulder) is throwing regularly at the Phillies' alternate training site in Lehigh Valley, but he's struggled to regain velocity since undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow in May 2019, Meghan Montemurro of The Athletic reports.

The elbow surgery sidelined Arano for the remainder of the 2019 campaign, but he was on track to be fully healthy for spring training before he experienced shoulder soreness in offseason workouts. Though MLB's extended hiatus provided extra time for Arano's shoulder to heal up, he wasn't able to throw regularly during the break and had to be eased along slowly in summer camp. Once he was cleared for intrasquad games, Arano's fastball sat around 90 to 91 miles per hour, about two or three ticks below his pre-surgery velocity. The Phillies are lacking in reliable bullpen arms at the big-league level, but until Arano's velocity picks up and he's able to dominate against minor-league hitters in Lehigh Valley, he likely won't be in line for a promotion.

Kolarek was recalled by the Dodgers on Monday.

Kolarek was optioned Thursday but will be back in the big leagues just four days later with Joe Kelly (shoulder) heading to the injured list. Kolarek hasn't allowed a run in four appearances thus far this season, allowing just two hits and no walks in 3.1 innings.