SHOCKING: Former Phillies Pitcher Leaves MLB Shortly After Posting Nightmarish 108.00 ERA

A former Philadelphia Phillies pitcher’s latest stint in Major League Baseball has come to an abrupt halt or at least a lengthy interruption following just one appearance on the mound this season.

That sole outing came with the Cincinnati Reds, where two-year Phillies reliever Yunior Marte endured a disastrous performance, yielding four runs in one-third of an inning for a staggering 108.00 ERA. The Reds designated him for assignment soon after, and though he briefly joined the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, he requested his release when it became clear that a return to the majors wasn’t imminent.

Now, Marte is heading back to Nippon Professional Baseball, signing with the Rakuten Eagles after his release from Pittsburgh. His time in the Phillies bullpen across 2023 and 2024 included over 60 games, a 5.79 ERA, and 61 strikeouts, but this season he logged only that one rough outing before departing affiliated ball.

That single disastrous relief appearance accounts for all of his eye-popping 2025 numbers, so those stats are more a quirk of a tiny sample size than a true measure of his talent. Marte has already found success in Japan before, making the move back to NPB a sensible choice after this setback in North America. A strong showing overseas could reopen doors in the U.S., but it might also lead to a solid contract in Japan or South Korea.

Phillies fans may recall that Marte arrived in Philadelphia via a trade with the San Francisco Giants, where he first broke into the big leagues. The Phillies sent left-hander Erik Miller to the Giants in exchange for Marte, who had posted a 5.44 ERA and 1.44 WHIP over 48 innings in his 2022 rookie season. San Francisco dealt him partly because he was at risk of losing his 40-man roster spot after they signed Luke Jackson.

Though his latest MLB opportunity vanished almost instantly, Marte now returns to a familiar setting with the Eagles. If he can recapture the form that once made him a promising bullpen arm, a future path back to the majors may still open up.