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Phillies Place Zach Eflin, Zack Wheeler On Covid List

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10:00am: Phillies manager Joe Girardi has told reporters, including Alex Coffey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, that Zack Wheeler is also going on the Covid list. The club will now be doubly challenged to get through their next stretch of games with their rotation down two key members. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com adds that Connor Brogdon will be taking Wheeler’s spot on the roster.

9:00 am: The Phillies have announced that right-hander Zach Eflin has been placed on the Covid-related injured list. Fellow righty Francisco Morales has been recalled to take his place on the roster. Additionally, with the club playing a doubleheader today, left-hander Cristopher Sanchez will be up with the club as the team’s 27th man.

Players can be placed on the Covid list if they test positive, are exhibiting symptoms or due to contact tracing measures. The club hasn’t provided further information about which of these applies to Eflin. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). Players who are experiencing symptoms but do not test positive can return in shorter order if their symptoms abate.

The Phillies were rained out both yesterday and Friday, meaning their pitching staff should be fairly rested, but also that they are playing a doubleheader today. They will then be traveling out west to play three games against the Mariners and four against the Dodgers, before their next off-day on May 16th. As long as Eflin is out of action, the rotation will be down to the foursome of Aaron Nola, Kyle Gibson, Ranger Suarez and Zack Wheeler. Sanchez and Morales both have started in the minors but have been working out of their bullpen so far this year.

Gibson should be able to handle one game today, as he last started April 30. Eflin would have been in line to start the other game but will need to be replaced. Suarez last pitched on May 3, meaning he could theoretically slot in and take another game on regular rest, although the club hasn’t yet another their plans for today. In that scenario, both Gibson and Suarez would be lined up to pitch again on regular rest on Friday. Wheeler and Nola can then take the ball on Monday and Tuesday, but then the club would need a plan for both Wednesday and Thursday. Another option would be to have a bullpen day in the second game of the doubleheader today, saving Suarez for Monday and bumping Wheeler and Nola down the line. Regardless of how it plays out, the club will need to strategically maneuver through the week, unless Eflin is able to return quickly.

Phillies Announce Five Roster Moves

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The Phillies announced five roster moves in advance of today’s game with the Marlins.  The Phils have selected the contract of right-hander Andrew Bellatti from Triple-A and also reinstated James Norwood from the bereavement list.  Righty Connor Brogdon and left-hander Damon Jones were optioned to Triple-A, while Sam Coonrod was moved to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space for Bellatti.

Coonrod has been dealing with a shoulder strain that initially shut him down at the end of March.  The right-hander tossed only 1 2/3 innings of Spring Training action, so between the injury rehab and then making up for his lost preseason work, it was already expected to be a while before Coonrod made his 2022 debut.

The 60-day IL placement means that Coonrod won’t make it back until mid-June at the earliest, which represents another injury setback for the 29-year-old.  Coonrod missed over two months last season due to forearm tendinitis, and over three weeks of the shortened 2020 season due a lat strain.  That same season also saw Coonrod hit the IL late in the year with another shoulder strain.

Between Coonrod’s injury absence and Brogdon’s demotion, the Phillies find themselves without two of their better relievers from last season.  However, since Brogdon has pitched in three of Philadelphia’s last four games, the move is probably just a way to get a fresher arm into the bullpen than indicative of a long-term stint in Triple-A for the right-hander.  Brogdon had a rough outing last night, allowing two earned runs and two more inherited runners to score over two-thirds of an inning in a 9-6 loss to the Mets.

Bellatti signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in December after being outrighted off the Marlins’ 40-man roster at the end of last season.  After tossing 23 1/3 innings for the Rays in his 2015 rookie season, Bellatti bounced around the minors before finally returning to the majors last year, pitching 3 1/3 innings of relief work out of Miami’s bullpen.  Bellatti has a 3.77 ERA and 24.03% strikeout rate over his 547 career frames in the minor leagues.

Phillies Recall Seranthony Dominguez, Place Connor Brogdon On 10-Day Injured List

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The Phillies have recalled Seranthony Dominguez from Triple-A for the final two games of the season. Connor Brogdon surrenders his roster spot, heading to the 10-day injured list with groin tightness, per the team.

Dominguez makes his return from Tommy John surgery. Still just 26-years-old, Dominguez was going to be a key piece for the Phils bullpen before the injury. He has not appeared in the Majors since 2019. Over his first two seasons, Dominguez flashed potential as a high-leverage arm, making 80 appearances from 2018-19 and logging 82 2/3 innings with a 3.27 ERA/3.20 FIP, 30.2 percent strikeout rate, 10.0 percent walk rate, and very strong 54.8 percent groundball rate.

Brogdon appeared in 56 games this year with a 3.43 ERA/3.77 FIP over 57 2/3 innings. Brogdon picked up 10 holds and a save while accruing 1.0 rWAR/0.7 fWAR as one of the more consistent arms in a much-maligned Philly bullpen.

Brogdon and Dominguez have yet to overlap in the Phillies’ bullpen, but they should both play a role next season. The Phillies maintain team control over Dominguez for the next three seasons and Brogdon for the next five.

Phillies Recall Alec Bohm, Release Matt Joyce

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The Phillies announced a few transactions before the start of their must-win series with the Braves. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, while reliever Connor Brogdon is back from the 10-day injured list. Reliever Ramón Rosso and utilityman Luke Williams were optioned out to clear active roster space. Additionally, veteran outfielder Matt Joyce, who had been designated for assignment over the weekend, has been released.

Bohm is back with the big league club after being optioned a little more than a month ago. That came amidst a very disappointing sophomore season, in which last year’s NL Rookie of the Year runner-up slumped to a .245/.302/.342 line with subpar defensive ratings. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference have pegged Bohm as below replacement-level this season, a surprising drop after the 25-year-old hit .338/.400/.481 through his 180 plate appearances last year.

Since being demoted, Bohm has bounced back a bit at the plate. Over 68 trips to the dish with the IronPigs, he’s improved to a .271/.353/.407 mark. He’s only popped one home run in fifteen Triple-A contests, though, and Bohm has continued to struggle to elevate the ball. After posting one of the league’s highest ground-ball rates in the majors (52.8%), the right-handed hitter has hit 25 of his 45 balls in play (55.6%) on the ground in Triple-A. He’ll assume a pinch-hitting/bench role as the Phils look to erase their two and a half game deficit behind Atlanta over their final six games, manager Joe Girardi told reporters (including Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer).

Brogdon returns after missing two weeks due to a right groin strain. It’s a bit surprising he’s made it back so quickly, as reports immediately after he suffered the injury suggested he was likely to miss the rest of the season. The 26-year-old has been a reliable middle relief option, tossing 55 innings of 3.60 ERA ball.

Joyce broke camp with the Phils to serve as a left-handed bat off the bench. Injuries cost him a good chunk of the season, though, and he didn’t produce over 69 plate appearances. He was a league average hitter as recently as last season with the Marlins and has a long history of drawing plenty of walks and hitting for a fair amount of power. Assuming the 37-year-old wants to continue playing, he shouldn’t have trouble landing a minor league deal somewhere with another invitation to Spring Training this winter.

Injury Notes: Winker, Brantley, Archer, Brogdon

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Reds All-Star outfielder Jesse Winker began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville on Tuesday. He’s played there each of the past two nights and will start for the Bats again this evening but could return to the big league club as soon as tomorrow, manager David Bell told reporters (including C. Trent Rosecrans of the Athletic). Cincinnati begins a difficult three-game set with the Dodgers this weekend.

Winker has been one of the game’s best hitters this season, following up on a fantastic shortened 2020 campaign with the best numbers of his career. Across 481 plate appearances, Winker owns a .307/.395/.560 line with 24 home runs. Even after accounting for Cincinnati’s hitter-friendly home ballpark, that offensive output checks in 52 percentage points above the league average by measure of wRC+, a mark that trails only Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bryce Harper, Fernando Tatís Jr. and Juan Soto among players with more than 400 trips to the plate. Reinstalling that kind of impact bat into the order would be huge for a Reds’ team that enters play today one and a half games back of the division-rival Cardinals for the National League’s final playoff spot (with the Padres also half a game up on them in the standings).

Some other injury situations for contending clubs around the league:

  • The Astros placed Michael Brantley on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to September 12, last night because of right knee soreness. The club didn’t provide any sort of timetable for his return, but there’s no indication it’s anything more than a precautionary absence. Houston holds a commanding seven game lead in the AL West thanks to recent scuffles by the A’s and Mariners, so there’s no reason to push one of their top performers before the start of the postseason. The ever-consistent Brantley is having another very good year, hitting .315/.367/.441 in 493 plate appearances.
  • Rays right-hander Chris Archer may not make it back to the field in 2021, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 32-year-old, who returned to Tampa Bay on a one-year deal worth $6.5MM this offseason, has been slowed by hip troubles in recent weeks and is seeking outside opinions on the matter before determining a course of treatment. Once the Rays’ top starter, Archer came back to Tropicana Field in hopes of revitalizing his career following a 2020 thoracic outlet surgery. He’s been limited to just 19 2/3 innings, however, due to a forearm injury early in the season and the recent hip troubles that have surfaced.
  • The Phillies placed reliever Connor Brogdon on the 10-day injured list due to a right groin strain yesterday. He “probably” won’t return this season, writes Matt Gelb of the Athletic. Brogdon has been one of the more reliable arms in a shaky Philly bullpen, tossing 55 frames of 3.60 ERA ball. The right-hander hasn’t missed bats at the huge level he flashed in a small sample last season, but he’s thrown strikes and induced grounders at a slightly above-average rate. Brogdon has worked mostly in medium-leverage situations this season, but his loss further thins a relief corps that leads baseball with 32 blown saves. Those bullpen woes are perhaps the biggest reason the Phils enter play today three and a half games behind the Braves in the NL East and three games back in the Wild Card hunt.

Alec Bohm Tests Positive For COVID-19

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10:48 am: Bohm has tested positive for COVID-19, Girardi told reporters (including Matt Gelb of the Athletic). He’ll remain in isolation for at least ten days.

10:17 am: The Phillies announced they’ve placed starting pitcher Aaron Nola, third baseman Alec Bohm and relievers Connor Brogdon and Bailey Falter on the COVID-19 injured list. Infielder Nick Maton and pitchers Mauricio Llovera, Damon Jones and Cristopher Sánchez have been recalled to replace them on the active roster.

Bohm was pulled from last night’s game as part of health and safety protocols. There’s no confirmation he or any of the other players involved have tested positive for COVID-19. Players can be placed on the COVID-19 IL for exposure to the virus or for experiencing virus-like symptoms. There is no minimum stint on the COVID IL.

Nola had been scheduled to start this afternoon’s game against the Red Sox. It’s not clear who will get the ball, although it seems likely manager Joe Girardi will conduct some sort of impromptu bullpen game. With the All-Star Break beginning tomorrow, the Phils can leverage a handful of arms to get through today’s contest and reevaluate the pitching staff before their doubleheader with the Marlins next Friday.

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