The Phillies have placed two lefties on the Injured List today, reliever Jose Alvarado and starter Matt Moore, in addition to infielder Ronald Torreyes. All three have been added to the COVID-19 Injured List and will miss an unspecified amount of time.
While free agent addition Matt Moore has struggled to find his footing thus far, allowing 12 earned runs over 11 innings this season; Alvarado will be sorely missed as he has been lights out to start the year, striking out 10 and allowing only one run over 5.2 innings. Additionally, Alvarado is far and away the bullpen’s best southpaw, putting more pressure on rookie JoJo Romero to deliver in the clutch. Torreyes will be much more easily replaced, as the 28-year-old utilityman has only appeared in three games so far, collecting one single over five plate appearances.
The Phillies have offset these losses by recalling three players who are in line to make their major league debuts: left handers Cristopher Sanchez and Damon Jones, as well as middle infielder Nick Maton. Sanchez, the most notable of the three, was acquired in late 2019 from the Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for highly-regarded Australian prospect Curtis Mead. The 24-year-old Sanchez makes his bones with a 100+ mph fastball and wipeout slider, and could be thrown into some high-leverage situations from the start.
Jones is a bit of a late bloomer, as he is in line to make his big league debut at 26. However, he should be a welcome addition to the pitching staff, as his 3.34 ERA and 11.1 K/9 over 253.2 minor league innings are both rock solid numbers.
Having turned 24 back in February, Maton is the youngest of the bunch, and will likely be sent back down once the Phillies are back to full strength. A .259/.342/.378 hitter over 1,168 plate appearances in the minors, Maton brings a contact-oriented approach and a steady glove to the Phillies bench.