Analyzing Which Phillies Pitchers Could Be Available in Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies are in a brutal spot when it comes to their bullpen and which arms are available on a given night.

Their relief pitchers have been relied upon heavily over the last week or so. The Phillies are in the midst of playing 14 straight days, and extra-inning games have left interim manager Don Mattingly searching for answers when it comes to bullpen usage.

In the first game of their series against the St. Louis Cardinals, things came to a head. Philadelphia was going to rely on Andrew Painter and Alan Rangel to eat as many innings as possible, regardless of how the game was going. They answered the call, covering eight innings with Jonathan Bowlan, the only other relief pitcher available, securing his first career save in the ninth inning.

Three pitchers is all the Phillies had available, but they made it work and came away with a 6-5 victory. Most people would think because so many relievers got the night off, they would be available for Game 2 against the Cardinals, but that isn’t the case, as shared by Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic (subscription required).

Phillies bullpen far from being 100 percent available

Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Alan Rangel (57) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds. — Jul 8, 2026; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Alan Rangel (57) pitches against the Cincinnati Reds in the first inning at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

“Mattingly said the bullpen won’t be fully available Tuesday despite resting six arms against the Cardinals; it will take additional time to recover from the bizarre, up-and-down baseball that taxed the bullpen and everyone’s collective sanity last week and left the Phillies reeling into Monday,” Varnes wrote.

Rangel, who threw 55 pitches across 2.2 innings of work, is almost assuredly not available. Bowlan only needed 10 pitches to get through his inning of work, but was pitching for the fourth time in six days, and it is hard to envision him being used in anything more than an emergency situation.

Who else may be sidelined? Orion Kerkering could certainly use more time off after being called upon to pitch four times in five days. The same goes for Jhoan Duran, who made six appearances in the first nine days of August.

Caleb Kilian, acquired from the San Francisco Giants ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, landed on the injured list with an oblique injury after pitching four out of six days after joining the team.

Which Phillies relievers are available behind Cristopher Sanchez?

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) throws a pitch. — Aug 6, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez (61) throws a pitch during the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It would not be surprising if all three of them are held out of action against the Cardinals in the second game of their series. That would leave Brooks Raley, acquired from the New York Mets ahead of the MLB trade deadline, and Jose Alvarado available to cover late-game innings.

Tim Mayza should also be available, as he has alternated days of appearances with a day off. Chase Shugart, who was recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley as the corresponding move for Kilian going on the injured list, is likely available to throw out of the bullpen as well. He took the mound three out of four days from Aug. 5-8 but hasn’t pitched since.

Cristopher Sanchez is on the mound for Philadelphia tonight, which could certainly help save the bullpen. He has yet to throw seven innings in an outing since the All-Star break, but this would be the perfect time to accomplish that feat once again.

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