As José Alvarado returns to crowded Phillies bullpen, can Jordan Romano justify his spot?

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PHILADELPHIA — The last two pitchers on the field Tuesday afternoon for pregame work were Jordan Romano and Joe Ross, the club’s two offseason bullpen additions at a $12.5 million cost. The two relievers spent extra time with pitching coach Caleb Cotham.

They are still here and, now, they are the last two men in a crowded bullpen.

The makeover was completed Tuesday when José Alvarado returned to the active roster after serving his 80-game drug suspension. It’s the strongest bullpen unit the Phillies have fielded all season; manager Rob Thomson has six legitimate high-leverage options at his disposal. Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason, but he will pitch often in the season’s final six weeks.

“It’s hard, man,” Alvarado said. “It’s hard because I know I want to be there. But that happened. And I’m here to try to do my best. Put everything I can into helping the team win a lot of games.”

Jhoan Duran is the closer. Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm are the set-up men. David Robertson and Tanner Banks will pitch in the middle of games. Ross is the long man.

Then there’s Romano.

He’s having one of the worst seasons for a reliever in Phillies history. He was booed Monday night when he surrendered a three-run homer that forced the Phillies to use Kerkering in a game he should not have pitched. Romano has a 7.56 ERA.

He threw two fastballs in his outing — one at 94.7 mph and another at 93.4 mph. He cannot pitch multiple innings. He has recorded three outs in only one of his six outings this month.

It’s impossible for Thomson to know what version of Romano to expect. That makes Romano a liability.

An All-Star in 2022 and 2023, Romano has struggled to regain the form he once had. (Brett Davis / Getty Images)

“He either shuts people down or he gives up two or three runs,” Thomson said. “It just seems like it’s been one of those years. But it’s still good stuff. He gets swings and misses when he’s on. And he’s actually done a pretty good job at killing innings, coming in with traffic and getting out of it.”

Romano has thrown one fastball at 97 mph in the last 45 days. (It was a 97.1 mph pitch on July 25.) In 2023, his fastball averaged 96.7 mph. He missed most of 2024 with an elbow impingement. He’s been searching for his typical stuff all season.

“I haven’t been consistent at all with either my fastball or my slider,” Romano said last week. “That’s like the biggest thing, right? As a reliever, when you go in the game, you want to be consistent. And I haven’t been. That’s the toughest thing. … Sometimes my slider’s doing something different every other pitch. It’s a little bit tough to pitch like that. But, again, that’s what I’m working on.”

How can a manager trust a reliever in any situation — important or not — in that state?

“Well, I can’t tell what he’s going to have coming out of the pen,” Thomson said. “Not until he gets out on the mound. So I just want to make sure that we give him time off because he seems to be stronger when he does have some time off. That’s the only thing you can do.”

The manager said the quiet part out loud, and it’s reasonable to wonder how much longer the Phillies will stick with Romano. This qualifies as a quibble because Romano is essentially the team’s seventh reliever now. It was much worse when they were expecting him to pitch in late-game situations. Now, if they run into an issue where they need a fresh arm, Romano or Ross are at risk of losing their roster spot.

The only relievers in the current bullpen with minor-league options are Kerkering and Banks, who has been one of the club’s most consistent pitchers all season. Banks stands to lose in the current structure; he’ll likely have to pitch in more lopsided situations simply because he’s capable of throwing multiple innings.

There are times when Thomson will have to use some of his better relievers in lower-leverage spots. The Phillies can add another pitcher on Sept. 1.

“We’ll have it covered,” Thomson said. “That bullpen group is so tightly knit that they’re going to pick each other up. And they know if you’re a leverage guy, we need to pick up an inning here somewhere. So they’re very unselfish that way.”

Max Lazar had a bullpen spot for three months, but he was demoted Monday because the Phillies needed a fresh arm. Lazar hasn’t been perfect, but he delivered in some key moments. He’s thrown harder and showed the Phillies something. It’s difficult to argue Romano has warranted a spot over Lazar. However, Romano is making money and has a longer track record. He’s graded better analytically — his expected numbers are better than his actual — and that could influence the front office.

In previous seasons, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has not been reticent to cut loose guaranteed contracts. He released Didi Gregorius, Jeurys Familia and Odúbel Herrera in 2022. He released Josh Harrison in 2023. He released Whit Merrifield in 2024.

This, then, speaks to a larger issue.

The Phillies did not accumulate enough bullpen depth in the offseason and have since attempted to use the edges of their 40-man roster to obtain usable arms. They’ve made numerous waiver claims and small trades to acquire relievers for Triple A. None have stuck. Seth Johnson, a prospect who showed some promise, is eligible to be recalled Wednesday. He threw more strikes than Daniel Robert, who had an extended look as well. Lou Trivino, a well-traveled veteran, signed a minor-league deal earlier this month. He could emerge as an option.

The other layer to this: Alvarado won’t be around in October, so the Phillies are attempting to preserve as much bullpen depth as possible. However, even if they were to suffer an injury between now and the postseason, it’s hard to imagine Romano reentering the trusted group without material changes to his fastball and slider.

“It’s extremely frustrating, but in a weird sense, it’s motivating,” Romano said. “Just wanting to really figure it out and get back to who I am as a pitcher. It just has not been going that way.”

So, for now, the Phillies are biding time. Alvarado knows his time his finite. He’s pitching for a $9 million club option in 2026 and pride — the lefty is determined to prove the unapproved weight-loss supplement he said he took earlier this season did not affect his on-field performance.

He has six weeks to show everyone — and help the Phillies secure a postseason berth.

“It’s another great arm,” Thomson said. “Plus, his energy around the clubhouse is always fun. It’s great to have him back.”

(Top photo of Jordan Romano: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)

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