After waking up in the morning as a Philadelphia Phillies pitcher, starter Mick Abel will end the night as a Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs roster member. Max Lazar, a 25-year-old right-handed reliever, will join the Phillies’ roster for their trip to Colorado and California this week.
Prior to tonight’s game against the Colorado Rockies, the Phillies recalled RHP Max Lazar from triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room on the 26-man roster, RHP Mick Abel was optioned to Lehigh Valley following yesterday’s game.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) May 19, 2025
Lazar earns his second MLB callup after a 2-2 record, a 3.12 ERA over 17.2 innings in 15 appearances with Lehigh Valley this season. The reliever exploded onto the Phillies roster with seven consecutive relief appearances without allowing a run last August, and finished with a 4.61 ERA in 13.2 MLB innings pitched.
Abel Back to Triple-A
According to Rob Thompson’s postgame yesterday, this transaction was always going to happen despite Abel’s dominant MLB debut on Sunday afternoon in a 1-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates. “Well, you know, it’s just circumstance,” Rob Thompson said after yesterday’s game. “He’ll be back. He keeps throwing the ball like that, I guarantee he’s going to be back.”
Abel is 8-15 with a 5.24 ERA in 159.2 innings pitched over three seasons in Triple-A. That stat line includes a disastrous 3-12 campaign last year featuring a forgettable 6.46 ERA. With a renewed effort at improving his craft this offseason, Abel earned his first big league call-up after a 5-2 record with a 2.72 ERA in eight starts to begin 2025.
With 116 games left in the Phillies’ regular season, Abel will likely get another opportunity on the roster. The 23-year-old might need to showcase some patience, as Philadelphia has Taijuan Walker ready to fill an open role in the rotation on the upcoming seven-game road trip. Walker is 1-3 with a 2.62 ERA in eight appearances, which includes six starts this season.
Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images
