Philadelphia Phillies Place Important Bullpen Piece On Injured List

After a successful road trip, the Philadelphia Phillies will be a bit shorthanded for the foreseeable future after one of their relievers hit the IL.

Jul 29, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Yunior Marte (43) / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies enjoyed a much-deserved day off on Thursday following a successful road trip that saw them go 7-3 with a sweep.

It's been a fantastic start to the year after it looked like that might not be the case early on.

After their offense began a bit sluggish, they have turned things around to give their sensational starting rotation run support. That's allowed them to rattle off multiple wins in a row.

What continues to be a bit of a concern, however, is their bullpen.

With a 5.19 ERA, they sit 26th in the league entering Friday's slate of games. This has been a constant storyline for the Phillies despite that unit finding success in 2023 when they finished the year ranked seventh.

Things will only get harder for the relief staff after Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reported that Philadelphia placed Yunior Marte on the 15-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation.

The 29-year-old has been one of the best pitchers in their bullpen, posting a 2.70 ERA over his 12 appearances. That comes on the heels of struggling during his first year with the Phillies in 2023 after he was acquired in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.

In a corresponding move, Jose Ruiz has been called up to take Marte's place.

Ruiz is a Major League veteran at 29 years old, having made his debut with the San Diego Padres in 2017 before spending a little over five seasons with the Chicago White Sox after being claimed off waivers ahead of the 2018 campaign.

However, it's been a struggle for the righty in his career with an ERA of 4.51 over his 212 appearances.

Philadelphia took a chance on him early this offseason when they signed him to a minor league contract. He's been lights out with their Triple-A affiliate so far this year with an ERA of 1.64 across 10 games.

Now, he'll have the opportunity to try and duplicate that in the MLB when called upon, something he hasn't been able to showcase yet.