The troubled Phillies bullpen suffered another blow on Thursday, as the club announced that right-handed reliever Brad Keller has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. The injury means that he's very likely done for the remainder of the 2026 season and could miss most (or all) of the 2027 campaign as well. Keller has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 13.
Keller, who soon turns 31, is in the first year of a two-year, $22 million contract he signed with the Phillies this past offseason. If his UCL injury eventually requires Tommy John surgery, then it's possible he won't pitch again under his current deal. This season, he's registered a 4.02 ERA (114 ERA+) with 32 strikeouts and 13 walks in 31 ⅓ innings in a setup role for the Phillies.
It's a significant loss for a Phillies bullpen that's been something of a weak spot in 2026, despite strong numbers from All-Star close Jhoan Duran. Going into the second half, Philly relievers rank 21st in MLB in bullpen ERA (4.44) but a more encouraging eighth in bullpen FIP.
'Pen problems
| Stat | Phillies' bullpen | MLB rank |
|---|---|---|
ERA | 4.44 | 21st |
Average against | .253 | 25th |
WHIP | 1.35 | 20th |
Three of the Phillies' left-handed relievers -- Tanner Banks, José Alvarado and Kyle Backhus -- have particularly struggled this season. Each pitcher has an ERA above 5.80, and they have combined to allow 58 earned runs in 77 1/3 innings (a collective 6.75 ERA).
Looking ahead to the near-term, Keller's injury may add an item or two to the trade-deadline shopping list of lead executive Dave Dombrowski. While the Phillies have surged back into playoff position and into contention in the National League East under interim manager Don Mattingly, help is still needed. In particular, the Phillies could use an additional starting pitcher and a right-handed-hitting outfielder, and that's in addition to bullpen help. A trade for a reliever was probably already on the front office's radar, and now losing Keller may mean that they'll be seeking out multiple relievers before the Aug. 3 deadline.
In theory, bullpen help isn't hard to find leading up to the deadline, but this time around the low bar for contention may mean fewer sellers and more competition for the players that are on the trading block.
