The Phillies announced today that right-handed reliever Tommy Hunter has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Fellow right-hander Edubray Ramos has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take Hunter’s 25-man roster spot.
Forearm strains are always ominous for pitchers, but it seems especially alarming in Hunter’s case. The 33-year-old had only been activated from the IL two weeks ago after sitting out the first three months of the season with the same injury. While there’s no timetable yet for Hunter’s return, if his recovery for the new injury takes anywhere near as long as the road back from his first malady, it could put his season in jeopardy. Hunter told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Breen (via Twitter) that while he’s optimistic about his ability to return this season, he believes his new injury is similar to the one which shut him down at the season’s outset. Hunter has thrown just 5.1 innings this season, the second of a two-year, 18MM deal that hasn’t worked out well for the team to this point.
Ramos, 26, is up for for his fourth separate stint with the club in 2019. A solid contributor from 2016-2018, his numbers have taken a downturn this year. After striking out 26.5% of hitters over his first three MLB seasons, Ramos has seen that rate plummet to 15.8% this year. An IL stint for shoulder stiffness could help explain his struggles, as Ramos’ average fastball is over two miles per hour slower than it was in 2018, per Brooks Baseball. His velocity didn’t bounce back immediately after he returned from the injury, though, and his results in Lehigh Valley this year have only marginally surpassed the mediocre production he’s managed in the majors.
What a nightmare of a season. I’m glad me and wife just had our first child because I could care less about this team.
This season has been a total disaster and I’m very ready for it to be over with. I’ve already made my free agency wishlist.
You know things are bad when your only option is to call up Ramos.
No one to blame but Klentak who invested how many millions of dollars in 32+ year old pitchers he expected to handle high leverage situations.
The Phillies bullpen has been absolutely demolished. It’d be laughable if it weren’t so frustrating. I have never seen so many injuries to one bullpen.
I’ve already made my free agency wishlist.
Time to sell early and get the best returns. Bruce and Miller at least should have a market.. Maybe Hernandez. Franco can go shopping at the market. If the Phillies don’t believe that Realmuto will sign an extension, shop him also. I would even dangle Nola just to see if there is an overwhelming offer. It’s never too early to start the rebuilding…….
I actually agree with this but to have emptied your cupboards for Realmuto only to sell him as a rental might be too much to stomach.
Rebuild? Don’t be dramatic. I can agree with trading JT, Segura or Hernandez if you can get significant value, but all they have to do is make good decisions in free agency and they’ll be right back in it.
Sign two of Hamels, Odorizzi, Cole, Gibson, Miley, Or Roark for the rotation. Sign two relievers. Fill out the bench and they’re good to go.
This is a dysfunctional team: starting 9, rotation, bullpen and bench. They didn’t rebuild correctly to begin with. That’s why we’ll wind up in 4th place behind the Marlins.
No doubt this team is flawed. The lineup is full of good, not great players that are streaky. But they would have easily have 10 more wins with a better pitching staff. 32 of their 45 losses came because the pitching staff gave up five or more runs.
They haven’t hit well all year but good teams are balanced. When the offense goes cold, the pitching picks up the slack and vise versa. Upgrade the pitching and bench and they’ll be fine.
better to stay the course if anything. none of the rentals will net a substantial return, and they like Cesar too much. they can make small improvements that will not cost much and perhaps will keep them in the wild card pitcher. anything less is failing the fan base.
5 innings and back to the IL. Robertson, Nicasio, Hunter and Nishek… $36 million in relievers on the IL!
If Diekman was a better pitcher, I’d offer him to the Phillies
euh. sad thing is, Klentak wilm probably take him. seen enough when he was here to know he’s rubbish.
ill never understand how hunter was worth 1.5 bWar with a 3.80 era over 64 innings…
Phillies’ defense was really bad last year. Their pitchers get a credit for that and it bumps up their bWAR.
Thin out the bull pen with these injured guys and find out who they have and get them experience.
That’s what happens when you sign washed up mediocre pitchers. ON TOP OF THAT over paying in years and money! Arrieta, Hunter, Robertson, Bucholz, the names can go on forever..there’s a reason why their previous clubs didn’t resign them. The Phillies are good for that! I’m not watching another game this season, whether there in the wildcard chase or not, until Klentek and Kapler are gone! (Kapler isn’t completely to blame, but they have to set an example). If we did a fan vote, I’m sure more than 70% would want Gabe out of Philly. Would bet everything I own on that vote, and feel very secure
As a Philadelphia sports fan I can say that you’d probably be right about your idea for a fan vote/m. As a Philadelphia sports fan I can also say that the vocal majority of Philadelphia sports fans are morons. They don’t want Gabe the manager fired. They want Gabe the person fired. Just because he doesn’t throw his players under the bus. I don’t know what they want him to do differently. It’s Doug Peterson and Charlie Manuel all over again.
“As a Philadelphia sports fan I can also say that the vocal majority of Philadelphia sports fans are morons.”
Yea, they pretty much proved your point when the Vikings came to your city for the NFC championship, embarrassing to say the least.
No. That’s a small amount of drunken idiots. I’m talking about the people who mistake their passion for knowledge and call talk radio three times a day.
I agree that it’s not all on Kapler, but in retrospect he is to blame. Relying solely on analytics, not being tough enough on his players, not benching them when necessary etc. He tries too hard to be one of the guys..we need a guy in the dugout who doesn’t take any BS. He’s more like a substitute teacher, rather an actual “full time” teacher if that makes any sense. It’s like being back in middle school, having a tough strict teacher, than all of a sudden that teacher gets sick, and along comes a younger inexperienced teacher. The class erupts, and starts spitting spit balls across the class being kids again
Gabe: this isn’t what “let the kids play” means.
Couldn’t disagree more. He’s the perfect manager for today’s player. But he’s a worst manager for the city because Philadelphia is only happy when it rains.
Kapler will find his level but it won’t be at the MLB level again. His niche is as a minor league manager (“He managed in the show once, did you know?”) for a West Coast team (not the Dodgers, they like winning too much). Kapler’s MiLB team will lead the league in self esteem and personal improvement. Kapler won’t wreck anyone’s career but no player who ever makes makes it to Cooperstown will ever remember his name.
Or he could host a radio call in show (but not in Philly). The guy’s limited.
i dont doubt he can have some beneficial effect on a major league staff, but he’s not one of the 30 best people in the world to be managing a MLB team, nor the best option in the Phillies organization. (Dusty Wathan maybe?) you can probably keep him as the bench coach or something.
I still don’t understand why he should be fired, or how he is a bad manager.