The Phillies shuffled their bullpen on Sunday morning, optioning Chase Shugart to Triple-A Lehigh Valley and recalling right-hander Alan Rangel to give them more length. The move came after Shugart threw 39 pitches in a 7-5 loss to the Blue Jays on Saturday night at Citizens Bank Park.
The need was immediate. Philadelphia's bullpen had been taxed across recent games, and the club had already played two extra-inning games in its last four. Since Aug. 3, Phillies relievers had thrown 24 2/3 innings, a workload tied for third most in the majors over that span. With the club at 62-56, the calculation was simple: add someone who can cover more than one inning before the next wave of games arrives.
Rangel is a familiar answer for that job. He has filled the long-man role for Philadelphia in the past two years, and he also spent five turns in the rotation in June and July while Andrew Painter was in the minors to reset. In the big leagues this year, Rangel posted a 5.40 ERA in 23 1/3 innings, the kind of line that does not scream certainty but does explain why the Phillies trust him to absorb innings when the bullpen is stretched thin.
That trust comes with a catch. Rangel has not pitched since Aug. 1, when he threw 6 1/3 innings for the IronPigs, so the Phillies are asking him to be ready for length while still keeping his arm built up. Don Mattingly said Rangel can be used on a day when it becomes, as he put it, his ball and nobody else is getting it, but he added that the club is not worried about stretching him out right now. If the outing runs long, Mattingly said, then the team would start thinking about that.
The timing helps explain the move as much as the numbers do. Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola both left their most recent starts early with injury scares, though both are expected to make their next scheduled starts. The Phillies did not add a starter at the trade deadline, so days like this fall to the bullpen, and that has made Rangel the next man up as Philadelphia tries to get through the stretch without burning out the group again.
For now, the job is clear: soak up innings when needed, keep the bullpen from being overextended, and see how long Rangel can hold that role before the workload becomes an issue. The Phillies are betting that his built-in length matters more than how long he has been idle.
