With just one day left in Spring Training, the Phillies roster has taken shape and the pitching staff for Opening Day has been locked in.
Phillies claim Carlos Hernández
Philadelphia put in a claim on right-handed reliever, Carlos Hernández, from the Royals. The hard-throwing righty spent the majority of his first two seasons as a starting pitcher or in a swing-man type of role.
After posting a 3.68 ERA and holding opponents to a .651 Slugging % over 85.2 innings in 2021, he struggled to find his footing the next two seasons. After moving to the bullpen full-time in 2024, Hernández recaptured some of his early success. In his age-27 season, the Venezuelan-born pitcher held opponents to a .220/.318/.639 slash line – the best numbers of his career thus far. His 3.30 ERA and 3.50 FIP last season suggest that his results were true, but his strikeout rate has not jumped as one might hope in the bullpen, and his walk rate was a career-high 12.4% last season.
The Phillies have found success taking pitchers with promising “stuff” and turning them into strong options for their club (see: Alvarado, Hoffman, and Sanchez). According to the Phillies stats and research team – among 128 major leaguers who have thrown at least 2,000 four-seam fastballs between 2021-2024, Hernández’s 97.8 MPH average velocity ranks fourth in all of Major League Baseball.
Corresponding moves
To make room for Hernández on the 40-man roster, the Phillies designated Tyler Phillips for assignment. If he is not claimed by another team in the next week, Philadelphia can outright him to Triple-A for more starting pitching depth. While Phillips finished last season with some rough numbers at the major league level, most fans will remember the magical night he had on July 27.
A Phillies fan growing up, Phillips pitched a complete game shutout in an 8–0 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in front of his family and a raucous home crowd, becoming the first Phillies rookie to throw a complete game shutout since Zach Eflin in 2016. Phillips struggled in Spring, turning in a 1-3 record and a 7.59 ERA (9 ER, 10.2 IP) over seven appearances.
More Pitching News
During the television broadcast of the game on Sunday, March 23 – Manager Rob Thomson gave some updates on the Phillies pitching situation entering the 2025 campaign.
Thomson announced that Ranger Suárez, who started dealing with back tightness last week, will start the season on the injured list. The team wants to play it safe with Ranger, especially after he missed time with back tightness twice in 2024. As a result, Taijuan Walker will slide into the rotation for now as the 5th starter. The 32-year old righty is looking to return to form after a career worst 2025, where he finished with a 7.10 ERA and a 1.721 WHIP after experiencing diminished velocity and less bite on his Splitter all season long. The opening week rotation will look like this:
| Zack Wheeler | 3/27 @ Nationals |
| Jesus Luzardo | 3/29 @ Nationals |
| Aaron Nola | 3/30 @ Nationals |
| Cristopher Sanchez | 3/31 vs Rockies |
| Zack Wheeler | 4/2 vs Rockies |
| Taijuan Walker | 4/3 vs Rockies |
Only one game remains in the Spring Training schedule before the club heads to Washington to start their season. After today’s pitching moves, only one roster spot remains undecided – the final bench spot. We will see soon who joins the newest addition to the Phillies roster, Hernández, in D.C. on March 27.
Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
