In a move that could serve dual purposes, the Phillies called up hard-throwing reliever Alex McFarlane from double A, the team announced Monday.
McFarlane, a 25-year-old right-hander, represents a fresh arm for a bullpen that was taxed Sunday in a 6-1 loss to the Mets. Five Phillies pitchers combined to throw 208 pitches, including 42 from Max Lazar and 31 from Seth Johnson in relief of No. 5 starter Alan Rangel, who needed 91 pitches to get through only four innings.
To make room for McFarlane, Rangel was optioned to triple A.
“The stuff’s been really good,” interim manager Don Mattingly said of McFarlane. “I think he’s got a really good arm. Obviously he’s young, so don’t really know exactly what to expect. But we know he’s got the stuff to be build on.”
It’s possible McFarlane will be with the team for only a few days. He got called up in a similar situation on April 24 and was optioned back to double A the next day.
But the Phillies could also opt to keep McFarlane on the roster to determine if he could contribute down the stretch. The Phillies were already seeking help for the bullpen ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline — and that was before setup man Brad Keller was lost for the season to a torn elbow ligament.
“We’ll just see what happens,” Mattingly said.
McFarlane has a 2.06 ERA in 32 appearances for double-A Reading with 47 strikeouts in 35 innings. He has held opponents to a .187 batting average. But he also has a 12.6% walk rate, which has delayed his promotion to triple A.
In that case, this could be a chance for McFarlane to show that he can factor into the Phillies’ bullpen mix sooner than expected.
“Just doing what I need to do, whatever the team asks for me,” he said. “Whenever the team calls, I’ll be ready.”
One adjustment for McFarlane at the next level, either in the big leagues or triple A, will be the baseball.
From the lower levels of the minors through double A, the baseball is softer, with slightly larger seams. It isn’t until triple A that the balls are the same as in the big leagues. Top pitching prospect Gage Wood, McFarlane’s teammate in double A, said he threw only one slider in the Futures Game on July 13 because the big-league baseball tended to pop out of his hand.
McFarlane said he has played catch with the big-league ball in Reading to get more familiar with it.
“Just started incorporating it and playing catch with it as much as I could and just getting familiar with the grips and all types of stuff,” he said. “It just feels a little smaller in my hand, so just took the time to adjust and just play light catch, understand how how the ball feels, and just be ready for whenever that call is.”
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