The Phillies adjusted their roster to bolster their struggling bullpen.
The Phillies have had a much tougher start to the season than anyone could have envisioned. After losing four straight games in frustrating fashion, the club opted to make a roster move. Right-handed reliever Yunior Marte was optioned to Triple A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday after his second blowup performance of the season. Marte had given up six earned runs in just an inning in his two appearances thus far.
To replace Marte on the 26-man roster, the Phillies called up right-hander McKinley Moore— who was acquired by the Phillies in 2022 for Adam Haseley. To make room for Moore on the 40-man roster, outfielder Jhailyn Ortiz was designated for assignment. Ortiz had been a prospect to watch for a few years now. His power was always appealing, but he has not shown the ability to make consistent contact. Moore will now join the Phillies bullpen in place of Marte.
Moore may not be a familiar name, but he had a fantastic spring for the Phillies. In nine appearances Moore pitched 9 1/3 innings while striking out eleven and walking just one batter. He also did not allow a run to score. This is a small sample size and spring training is not always a good indicator of which players’ abilities will translate to the regular season. At this point, though, it cannot hurt to try to shuffle some things around.
The Phillies will look to Moore to continue to show promise in the big leagues. Marte could still be a piece in the Phillies bullpen later this season. Marte has a high velocity fastball that reaches the high 90s and a potentially really good slider. His command was off, however, to begin the season. In his two appearances he allowed five hits and walked four batters leaving his WHIP 9.00. He will need to work on command while he is in Triple A. José Alvarado did this last season and became a huge piece in the Phillies bullpen to end the season. It is possible that Marte makes a return at some point.
It is common to see bullpen moves made when relievers struggle as badly as Marte did. The Phillies have a few options to go to including Erich Uelmen in the event that other relievers struggle or need to be replaced. The Phillies bullpen was expected to be one of their strong suits going into 2023, but they have under-performed. If the pieces can pitch to their potential, the bullpen should rebound and become a strength again.
It seems like the Phillies cannot get all of their parts working together. So far it has gone that if the offense scores, the pitching struggles and vice versa. There are injuries that are contributing to the inconsistencies, but there are also enough players on this team that can help turn things around. Phillies fans hope that turnaround comes real soon.
