The Philadelphia Phillies have seen a reduction in their organizational depth following a recent roster move.
Earlier this week, the Phillies designated Bryse Wilson for assignment, placing him on waivers. By June 24, the Chicago Cubs had claimed the veteran right-hander, who has nine years of major-league experience, as they deal with a rash of injuries on their own staff. Cubs beat reporter Meghan Montemurro confirmed the transaction.
“The Cubs have claimed RHP Bryse Wilson off waivers from the Phillies. RHP Christian Roa has been designated for assignment,” Montemurro posted on BlueSky.
Wilson had activated his upward mobility clause earlier this month, prompting the Phillies to select his contract on June 18. However, only four days later on June 22 the club designated him for assignment, and two days after that, he was claimed by Chicago.
During his brief stint with the Phillies, Wilson made just one appearance, tossing two scoreless innings. That lone outing, however, did not convince the front office to keep him on the 40-man roster, leading to his DFA.
Over the course of his MLB career, Wilson has compiled a 20–23 record with a 4.80 ERA across 164 games and 463 innings pitched. He now figures to provide the Cubs with some valuable reinforcement for a pitching staff that has been stretched thin by injuries.
Meanwhile, the Phillies themselves are facing a clear need for additional pitching as the August 3 trade deadline approaches.
Currently, the club has a vacancy in the fifth starter’s role following Andrew Painter’s demotion. Alan Rangel got an opportunity to start, and in that game, Tim Mayza served as the opener. Interim manager Don Mattingly acknowledged that the team is exploring various approaches to fill that rotation spot.
“At this point, we’ve kind of made a commitment to that spot,” Mattingly explained. “I’m not saying we’re making a commitment to a full start every time. It could be an opener, it could be starting. Sometimes it can depend on a team’s lineup construction.”
Mattingly noted that using Mayza as an opener was driven by matchup considerations, but he also left the door open for Rangel to earn the role on a more permanent basis.
“I’ve seen him pitch only a little bit in spring training,” Mattingly said of Rangel. “But I think the fact that Rangel has been the guy throwing the best, they felt like, down there, he was going to be the best guy long term for us. … We’ll see what he can do. He’s been throwing the ball well. The last time he came up, we felt like he threw the ball well. So we’ll see what it looks like.”
For the time being, Rangel is slotted as the fifth starter, though the Phillies are widely expected to pursue a trade for another arm before the deadline.
In related moves, Philadelphia has continued to adjust its pitching personnel. The club chose to keep Seth Johnson while optioning Max Lazar, a decision Mattingly framed as a reflection of the organization’s overall pitching depth.
“Probably one of the strengths of the staff and the org right now,” Mattingly said. “It seems like there are a number of guys. Like, Max is a perfect example. Max didn’t do anything wrong. … And Max said he understood just because he knows we’ve got a bunch of guys out there right now that are throwing the ball well. And he also understands there’s going to be a time in the year that we’re probably going to need him.”
Even with that perceived depth, however, the Phillies recognize the need to add higher-quality arms as the trade deadline draws nearer.
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