It has been 12 days since the Phillies' weakest unit – a bullpen which has drawn plenty of ire in the first several weeks of the 2025 season – suffered the biggest loss imaginable. Left-hander José Alvarado, the most trusted relief pitcher manager Rob Thomson could hand the ball to, was suspended for 80 games on May 12, leaving an already suspect group hurting even more.
Since Alvarado left the team, a few Phillies relievers have stepped up while others have sputtered. Ahead of a three-game set against the Milwaukee Brewers, ranking Thomson's available bullpen options from least to most trustworthy.
No. 8: Carlos Hernández (R)
Hernández was once the early favorite to be designated for assignment in the first month of the season as the last man in the bullpen. As it was supposed to go, Ranger Suárez would return, Taijuan Walker would move to the bullpen and occupy Hernández's spot, while the 28-year-old right-hander would be DFA'd.
But as injuries started to pile up, and with Alvarado was suspended, Hernández threaded the needle and has a chance to make his stay in Philadelphia much longer than many would have anticipated it being when the Phillies claimed him off waivers shortly before Opening Day.
For that to happen, though, Hernández must begin to pitch better. He throws hard and has good stuff, but struggles with command to such a degree that it is difficult to imagine ever using him in a high-leverage situation.
Key stat: Hernández has a 1.91 WHIP in 20.1 innings pitched this season.
No. 7: Max Lazar (R)
Lazar, who turns 26 on Tuesday, was the reliever eventually recalled from Triple-A to fill the spot in the bullpen vacated by Alvarado. Lazar made his major-league debut in the bullpen last summer and tossed 6.1 scoreless innings across his first seven appearances. But he allowed at least one earned run in each of his next four appearances, promptly being demoted back to Lehigh Valley with a 4.61 ERA.
But Lazar had put himself firmly on the radar, and he followed that up with a strong start to 2025 with the IronPigs that positioned him to earn the call-up if someone went down.
The Phillies have only used Lazar twice this season: on May 20, he allowed two runs in as many innings at Coors Field as he put the finishing touches on a stress-free win. Four days later, he threw a scoreless 11th to earn his first major-league save in a dramatic win over the Athletics in West Sacramento.
Hernández is clearly ahead of Lazar in the pecking order right now, and it will be interesting to see what Lazar has to do to work his way up that ladder. One thing the Phillies can say safely about Lazar: he throws strikes, and he has done so at every level.
Key stat: Lazar has faced 67 major-league hitters in his career and only issued three walks.
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No. 6: Joe Ross (R)
Ross was signed largely because of his ability to go multiple innings as a former starter converted into a reliever, and he has done that when the Phillies have needed. But after the 32-year-old's stuff played up quite a bit for the Brewers in a relief role last season, his performance on a per-inning basis in Philadelphia has been disappointing.
In 26.1 innings pitched, Ross has a 4.78 ERA and allowed his fifth home run of the season on Thursday. He has just not been effective enough.
Based on what Ross has shown in 2025, his ideal role is likely a pure long man who could pitch in a medium-leverage spot if needed. But the same could be said for the two arms listed before him and the one to come after him. Ross' ability to eat innings in games, whether they are already out of reach or if a starter has an unusually short outing, is valuable enough for him to remain in the No. 6 slot for now.
Key stat: Ross has only notched 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings in 2025, well below his previous career-low mark of 8.0.
No. 5: José Ruiz (R)
Ruiz, 30, represented a success story last season for the Phillies' pitching development. While Ruiz had been a capable reliever in the past, he had clearly lost his way and became a free agent after the 2023 campaign. The Phillies inked him to a minor-league deal, eventually promoted him and watched him become a solid option in the middle innings.
There was good reason to believe Ruiz's impressive 2024 season – he posted a 3.71 ERA in 51.0 innings pitched – was aided by luck to some degree. But Ruiz, who missed the first few weeks of May because of a neck injury, has really taken a step back. His struggles with command have reflected the pitcher he was before 2024. He has a 5.40 ERA and 1.65 WHIP, and yet… there are not really many better options.
Thomson has clearly taken a liking to Ruiz, whose demeanor on the mound he has praised on several occasions. And, to be fair, what Ruiz did last season is more enticing than anything the names already listed have done in Phillies uniforms. But for him to be this high on a list like this speaks to a jarring lack of depth in this bullpen.
Key stat: Ruiz has allowed 10.8 hits per nine innings this season.
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No. 4: Tanner Banks (L)
Banks has arguably been the only Phillies relief pitcher to genuinely surpass expectations all season long; the 33-year-old's continued ascent is even more important now that he is second in this bullpen's hierarchy of left-handers. Banks has turned most left-handed hitters into automatic outs, is consistently in the strike zone and is beginning to get his feet wet in late-inning situations.
Lefty batters are slashing a collective .147/.194/.265 against Banks, who has always been effective in left-on-left matchups, but Banks now looks even better in those spots while also finding ways to retire right-handed hitters. Banks does not have overwhelming velocity, but his control of his fastball and his pair of effective breaking pitches has enabled him to keep hitters off-balance and induce plenty of weak contact.
With about two months to go until the trade deadline, look for the Phillies to continue testing Banks' aptitude in high-leverage spots as they evaluate the specific kinds of reinforcements this bullpen might need later in the summer.
Key stat: Banks's 25.6 K-BB% this season ranks seventh-best in the majors among left-handed relievers (min. 20.0 IP).
No. 3: Orion Kerkering (R)
Kerkering, 24, was a steady regular season force out of the bullpen in his rookie season last year, but surprisingly stumbled early on in 2025. A difficult close to April, punctuated by a blown save against the Washington Nationals, ballooned Kerkering's ERA to 5.56.
But in the month of May, particularly since Alvarado's suspension, Kerkering has stepped up in a major way during a time of need. He has only allowed one earned run in 12 outings and has become Thomson's favorite option to get out of precarious situations. Last week, Kerkering became the first Phillies pitcher since September of 2023 to pitch on three consecutive days. In the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves, Kerkering recorded four outs for the first time all season.
Kerkering has yet to nab his first major-league save, but it might not be far away. Right now, though, his best utility to this staff might be his ability to get out of jams. His devastating slider/sweeper is a massive challenge for right-handed hitters, but Kerkering still needs to become more effective against left-handers.
Key stat: Since Alvarado's suspension, Kerkering has not allowed a run across six outings (5.0 IP).
No. 2: Jordan Romano (R)
On April 19, Thomson summoned Romano for a low-leverage spot in hopes of helping the 32-year-old turn around what had already been a massive struggle to begin his Phillies tenure. The Phillies were leading the Miami Marlins 11-4 in the ninth inning, and Romano promptly allowed six runs while only recording two outs, turning a low-leverage situation against a lowly team into a spot where Alvarado needed to enter the game and get the final out.
It would have been hard to believe then that almost six weeks later, he would be anywhere near the top of this list. But he is, and it speaks to both his resurgence over the last month-plus and the crushing nature of Alvarado's absence. Romano gave up a three-run homer while nursing a four-run lead in the ninth inning in West Sacramento last Friday, but those are the only runs he has given up all month.
Jordan Romano, K'ing the Side in the 9th. pic.twitter.com/iYU0vC8YBK
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 18, 2025
Phillies fans have come to learn that even when Romano is putting up a zero, the journey to get there has a good chance of being bumpy. But even on Thursday afternoon, Romano's three walks in a one-run save opportunity were ultimately bypassed with a pair of strikeouts and a scoreless inning to seal the deal. This team's best chance of stringing together multiple months of quality bullpen production starts with Romano continuing to lock things down on the back end. But it will not always be pretty.
Key stat: Since his six-run blowup on April 19, Romano has a 2.70 ERA in 14 appearances (13.1 IP).
No. 1: Matt Strahm (L)
While Strahm, 33, has had a pair of brutal appearances in the last week. He allowed a pair of runs on Sunday to turn a late Phillies lead into a late Phillies deficit, ultimately costing the team a chance to sweep the Athletics. Then he gave up two runs to Atlanta on Thursday afternoon to coughed up a lead. But it's hard to be more than just a little worried about the left-hander, who has been so consistent in his Phillies tenure.
Perhaps Strahm has thrown a few too many pitches over the middle of the plate recently, but one of the only things to feel certain about this bullpen moving forward is that Strahm will, in the aggregate, be a very strong option for Thomson against both lefties and righties.
The hope should be that some of Strahm's fellow relievers – especially Romano in the ninth – can stabilize things a bit, so there is less pressure on the most reliable member of the group. Strahm has had a few frustrating trips to the mound recently, but with all of the issues plaguing this bullpen from top to bottom, it is a challenge to spend much time worrying about him specifically.
Key stat: Strahm has induced a 39.6 chase rate in 2025, according to Baseball Savant, which is in the 99th percentile among all major-league pitchers entering Friday's play.
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