Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Won't pitch again this year
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Alvarado (forearm), who was placed on the 15-day injured list Friday, won't pitch again in 2025, Noah Levick of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
Manager Rob Thomson confirmed prior to Friday's game against the Royals that Alvarado won't have enough time to recover from his strained left forearm before the regular season concludes. The 30-year-old left-hander is ineligible for the playoffs due to his PED suspension, which cost him 80 games earlier this year, as well. Alvarado had once worked his way into Philadelphia's closing mix due to the struggles of Jordan Romano (finger), but the former reverted back to a setup role upon his return in August due to the addition of Jhoan Duran. Alvarado will close the campaign with a 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 32:7 K:BB and five holds while converting seven of his eight save chances. He has a $9 million club option for 2026.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Officially placed on IL
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The Phillies placed Alvarado on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm strain Friday.
The move is retroactive to Sept. 11. Taking Alvarado's place on the 26-man roster is Walker Buehler, who had his contract selected from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in a corresponding move. Alvarado owns a 3.81 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 32:7 K:BB across 26 innings out of the Philly bullpen this season.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Heading to injured list
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The Phillies will place Alvarado on the 15-day injured list prior to Friday's game against the Royals due to an undisclosed injury, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
It's unclear what injury he's dealing with, but Alvarado last pitched Wednesday against the Mets, giving up a solo home run in one inning of work. He will be eligible for activation for the final series of the regular season, but it's possible Alvarado's season is over, particularly since he's ineligible for the postseason roster after his PED suspension.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Back from suspension
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The Phillies reinstated Alvarado (suspension) from the restricted list Tuesday.
The left-hander has been sidelined since mid-May after being handed an 80-game suspension for a positive PED test, but he'll rejoin the Phillies for the closing stretch of the regular season. Alvarado was part of the closing mix prior to the suspension with seven saves and a 2.70 ERA, but Jhoan Duran is now locked in as Philadelphia's closer. Due to the suspension, Alvarado won't be eligible to pitch in the playoffs this season.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Starting rehab assignment Thursday
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Alverado (suspension) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Thursday.
Alvarado was handed an 80-game PED suspension in mid-May and is now closing in on his return. The reliever is eligible to be activated Aug. 19 and will make some appearances with Lehigh Valley to get back up to speed. However, the southpaw will not reclaim the closer role for the Phillies, who acquired Jhoan Duran at the trade deadline.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Handed 80-game suspension
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Major League Baseball suspended Alvarado for 80 games Sunday due to a positive test for a performance-enhancing substance, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.
Alvarado has been a central part of Philadelphia's bullpen this season, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 25:4 K:BB over 20 innings while successfully converting all seven of his save chances. His suspension will now take him out of action until mid-August, and Alvarado won't be eligible to pitch in the postseason. Jordan Romano had already started getting more frequent save chances of late, and he'll likely receive even more ninth-inning opportunities with Alvarado out.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Collects save No. 6
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Alvarado struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to pick up a save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks.
Pitching on two days of rest, Alvarado needed just 11 pitches to finish off the Diamondbacks on Thursday. He struck out Geraldo Perdomo to record the final out of the night and pick up his sixth save of the season, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.72 through 15.2 innings.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Needed for save Saturday
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Alvarado recorded the final out of Saturday's 11-10 win over the Marlins to pick up his fifth save of the season.
The Phillies took an 11-4 lead into the ninth inning, but Jordan Romano served up two homers en route to giving up six runs in two-thirds of an inning, forcing Alvarado into the game to clean up the mess. The southpaw needed just two pitches to get Xavier Edwards to line out to right field. Alvarado has been dominant to begin the season, going 5-for-5 in converting save chances while posting a 2.79 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB through 9.2 innings. While the Phillies have plenty of high-leverage options in the bullpen, Alvarado appears to have a lock on the closer job for the moment.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Grabs fourth save
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Alvarado earned the save in Thursday's 6-4 win over San Francisco, allowing one run on two hits in the ninth inning.
Alvarado gave up a one-out homer to Tyler Fitzgerald, allowing the Giants to cut the deficit to two, though he rebounded to close out the victory to improve to 4-for-4 in save chances this year. The left-handed Alvarado has given up a run in each of his past two outings, but he still sports a 2.89 ERA with a 1.39 WHIP and 14:2 K:BB through 9.1 innings this season.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Hangs on for first save
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Alvarado earned the save in Thursday's 3-1 win over the Rockies, allowing a run on three hits and a walk while striking out three in the ninth inning.
Alvarado didn't make things easy in the ninth, allowing the first three batters to reach safely to start the frame. However, the left-hander would hold the Rockies to a lone run, logging consecutive strikeouts to strand the bases loaded. It's the first save of the year for Alvarado. He's expected to share closing duties with Jordan Romano, who was used in the eighth inning Thursday versus the top of Colorado's order. Alvarado logged 13 saves in 2024, pitching to a 4.09 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP and 63 strikeouts across 61.2 innings.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Reinstated from restricted list
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The Phillies activated Alvarado (personal) from the restricted list following Saturday's 3-0 win over Atlanta.
Alvarado has been away from the club since Monday due to a personal matter. The left-handed reliever will be available out of the bullpen for the series finale Sunday. Across 56 outings this season, Alvarado has recorded 13 saves and eight holds with a 4.30 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 52:25 K:BB over 52.1 innings.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Expected back Sunday
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Alvarez (personal) will rejoin the Phillies on Friday and is expected to be activated from the restricted list Sunday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
Alvarado is slated to do some throwing Saturday and then will be available out of the bullpen again beginning Sunday. The left-handed reliever has been away from the club this week while dealing with a personal matter, and those off-field concerns could help explain his 4.66 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 7:8 K:BB through 9.2 innings in August.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Goes on restricted list
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The Phillies placed Alvarez on the restricted list Monday as he deals with a personal matter, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.
It's not clear at this point how long Alvarado will be away from the club. The lefty reliever has had an up-and-down season and has mostly struggled since the All-Star break, posting a 5.40 ERA and 12:9 K:BB over 13.1 innings. Michael Mercado was called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Alvarado's spot on the active roster and in the bullpen.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Collects 13th save
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Alvarado allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over the Cubs.
This was Alvarado's first save since June 11, as Jeff Hoffman and Seranthony Dominguez had poached the last three saves. Alvarado remains the Phillies' top closer with 13 saves on the year, with Hoffman (seven), Gregory Soto (two) and Dominguez (one) rounding out the high-leverage group. Over 35 innings this season, Alvarado has maintained a strong 3.09 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 38:12 K:BB.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Secures 12th save
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Alvarado gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 12th save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Red Sox.
The southpaw needed 20 pitches (13 strikes) to put away the BoSox, as he bounced back from his second blown save of the season Sunday. Since getting tagged for five earned runs Opening Day, Alvarado has emerged as the Phillies' primary closer -- he's posted a 1.91 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 31:10 K:BB through 28.1 innings, and his 12 saves are already a new career high.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Blows second save
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Alvarado (1-3) suffered the loss Sunday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning against the Mets. He struck out two.
Alvarado entered the game with a one-run lead looking to preserve his 12th save, but things went downhill quickly. After allowing a walk and a single to start the inning, an infield single by Mark Vientos tied the game. Then with the bases loaded and one out, a hit-by-pitch followed by a passed ball allowed two more runners to score, saddling Alvarado with his second blown save and third loss of the season. Sunday's outing came on the heels of five consecutive scoreless appearances since his last blown save, which came May 24 in Colorado. The outing lifted Alvarado's ERA to 3.54 with a 1.14 WHIP and 31 strikeouts through 28 innings this season.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Nails down 11th save
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Alvarado gave up a hit and struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 11th save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Brewers.
The southpaw picked up his first save since May 21 with a dominant effort, as he fired 15 of 21 pitches for strikes. Alvarado is putting together a strong season, posting a 2.96 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB through 27.1 innings and blowing only one save chance so far, but the Phillies' tendency to play matchups in high-leverage spots keeps him from being an elite fantasy closer, as Jeff Hoffman (five saves) and Gregory Soto (two saves) are also in the ninth-inning mix.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Suffers first blown save
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Alvarado blew the save Friday against the Rockies. He allowed one run on two hits and no walks over one inning while striking out two.
Alvarado looked to be cruising to another save after striking out Jordan Beck and Hunter Goodman to start the bottom of the ninth inning. However, pinch hitter Jacob Stallings and his career .340 slugging percentage had different plans, crushing a 427-foot solo home run to hand Alvarado his first blown save in 2024. The flame-throwing lefty sports a 3.63 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 23:8 K:BB in 22.1 innings this season.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Locks up eighth save
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Alvarado picked up the save Monday against the Mets. He pitched a clean inning with no strikeouts.
Alvarado collected his first save since May 5 on Monday night, requiring just nine pitches to retire the Mets in the tenth inning. Outside of yielding five runs on Opening Day, the 28-year-old lefty has been a stalwart, firing a 1.06 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB over 17 innings since then. Alvarado will continue to split saves with the rest of the talented Phillies bullpen but should collect the bulk of opportunities.
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Phillies' Jose Alvarado: Locks down sixth save
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Alvarado earned the save in Friday's 4-3 win over the Giants, allowing a hit while logging a strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.
Alvarado allowed a leadoff single before setting down the next three Giants, closing out the one-run victory for his sixth save of the season. After giving up five runs in his first outing of the year, Alvarado's allowed just one run in his subsequent 13 innings. The left-hander lowered his ERA to 3.95 with a 1.24 WHIP and 14:7 K:BB on the campaign.
