Recently Acquired Philadelphia Phillies Pitcher Named 'Potential Impact Callup'

The Philadelphia Phillies could bring the right-hander up to give them extra depth heading into the postseason.

Feb 21, 2024; Sarasota, FL, USA; Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Seth Johnson (56) poses for a photo during photo day at Ed Smith Stadium. / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Phillies will call up two players on September 1 as their rosters expand from 26 to 28. This will allow the Phillies to give two of their young players a chance to compete at the big-league level, but they'll have some tough decisions to make.

The biggest hurdle they'll have to consider is who's Rule 5 eligible. If they're Rule 5 eligible, Philadelphia might decide to put them on the 40-man roster and call them up to avoid anything this offseason. 

However, given the Phillies' opportunity to win a World Series, it'd be wise to call up any player who could potentially help with that. There might not be many holes on the roster, but adding a pitcher never hurts.

That's why Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com named recently acquired right-hander Seth Johnson as a "potential impact callup" for Philadelphia.

"This could be an early return on a Trade Deadline investment. The Phillies got Johnson from the Orioles in the Gregory Soto deal and they may have picked up the right-hander at exactly the right time.

"With Tommy John surgery finally firmly in his rearview, Johnson has been outstanding most of this year, and he tossed five innings of shutout ball in his Triple-A debut in his last start. He’s on the 40-man, so that hurdle is cleared and the back of the Phillies’ rotation is far from solid."

The Phillies landed Johnson in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles during the deadline, and he's been as good as advertised. He owns a 2.55 ERA and has struck out 74 hitters in 77 2/3 innings pitched across Double and Triple-A in 2024.

He's only pitched in one game for Lehigh Valley so far, but he was lights out in his first outing, throwing five innings of one-hit baseball and not allowing an earned run.

Johnson is on the 40-man roster, which doesn't pose any threats for the Rule 5 Draft. However, if the front office believes he'll be the one to help solidify this bullpen or give them a start down the stretch to save some of their arms, it's not a bad idea to call him up.

It's tough to do so, given that he was just traded to the organization, but as the front office in Philadelphia has shown time and time again, their biggest focus is on winning.

If he helps them do that more than a player who's been with the organization longer, they don't seem to mind.