Philadelphia Phillies Activate Injured Reliever off IL, Gain Another Bullpen Option

The Philadelphia Phillies could have another option coming out of their bullpen if needed after activating one of their relievers off the injured list.

May 23, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Dylan Covey (54) throws a pitch against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Citizens Bank Park / Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Don't look now, but the Philadelphia Phillies have won four games in a row against the now-AL Central leading Kansas City Royals and first place AL West Houston Astros.

These four contests have produced vastly different styles of victory, something that should be a good sign going forward as they get prepared for the playoffs.

Against the Royals, the Phillies were able to showcase the overwhelming offensive firepower they have when everything clicks, and when that didn't carry over into their opener against the Astros, they pivoted to situational hitting that spurned a comeback, and by putting together a dominant pitching performance coupled with a knockout home run ball in Tuesday's game.

This has been the most positive stretch for Philadelphia since the All-Star break.

With their lineup slowly starting to wake up and their pitching staff beginning to find their form once again, this team could hit their groove to close out the regular season.

One thing to keep an eye on is the situation surrounding Jose Alvarado.

He has been placed on the restricted list with something the team has deemed "a personal matter," so until he is back in the mix, the Phillies will be without one of their top arms for the foreseeable future.

But, they got some good news on the injury front when Dylan Covey reached the point where they could activate him off the 60-day injured list after he's been sidelined since March 28 with a right shoulder strain.

According to his player page, Philadelphia has now outrighted him to their Triple-A affiliate after he had been on a rehab assignment across multiple minor league levels as he was working his way back.

Covey was solid for the Phillies last season, appearing in 28 games and recording an ERA of 3.69 across his 39 innings pitched. His ERA+ was 19 points above the league average.

The Phillies currently have multiple right-handed reliever options in star closer Carlos Estevez, All-Star Jeff Hoffman, former top prospect Orion Kerkering, Jose Ruiz, and Michael Mercado, so there isn't necessarily a need for another righty like Covey.

However, the absence of Alvarado does present the need for another bullpen option, especially if Mercado struggles like he has during his four Major League appearances this year.

At the very least, Philadelphia now has another arm available for them at the Triple-A level who they can turn to in case some of the players on their active roster struggle, or if they pick up another injury.