It became clear following the latest bullpen debacle last night that the Phillies had to do something, and, well, today the team finally did something.

Nick Pivetta was optioned to Lehigh Valley, while Trevor Kelley and Nick Williams were both designated for assignment.

A day after tag-teaming to surrender seven runs in the ninth inning of a 13-8 win that quickly got way too weird, the Phillies opted to replace Pivetta (15.88 ERA) and Kelley (10.80 ERA) with Blake Parker and Connor Brogdon.

Before Tuesday night’s series opener with Baltimore, Phillies manager Joe Girardi discussed the decision to option Pivetta out.

“Well, as you know, we’re in a results-oriented business and Nick has struggled. He’s been OK in a couple, he struggled really, mightily last night, and we don’t think that his stuff is quite right,” he said. “We don’t think he’s pitching the way he’s capable of, and it’s really hard to get work when you’re in the bullpen, and that you might be needed that night. So you can’t throw bullpens and go out and do what you need to do, so, we want to get him back on track and get him to where he’s a big contributor for us.”

Parker was with the Phillies in 2019, appearing in 25 games with a 5.04 ERA.

The 25-year-old Brogdon, meanwhile, quickly ascended through the organization’s minor league system a year ago, making stops at Clearwater, Reading, and Lehigh Valley. In 51 total minor league games in 2019, Brogdon posted an impressive 2.61 ERA, 0.921 WHIP, and 12.6 K/9.

His fastball has some good life through the zone, and the changeup should play at the big league level.

I asked Girardi about what to expect from Brogdon and how he will be utilized early on. Here’s his response:

As for the plan with Pivetta moving forward, Girardi expects that he will work in a relief role while at the team’s alternate training site, though he did leave the door cracked just a bit. His full quote:

I think we will keep him in relief. Now, that could change because we do have a lot of doubleheaders coming up, but I think the biggest thing that is important for him is repetition, right? And being able to repeat his pitches and execute his fastball where he wants it, so we can do that in multiple-inning stints. If they feel it’s best to one time let him go as far he needs to go that day, you let him do it. There’s a lot of different ways, but right now, we envision him when he comes back being in our bullpen.

As you may have guessed, the Phillies’ bullpen is the game’s worst by several measures this season, including:

  • ERA: 9.87 ERA
  • OPP BA: .359
  • WHIP: 1.94

If those numbers don’t change (and fast), today’s moves will be just the first of several. If there’s a prop bet out there on the topic, I would urge you to take the over.