How Does Jose Alvarado Fit With Phillies Pitching Staff in 2025?

Mick Abel took the mound for his major league debut on May 18 hours after the news of a Jose Alvarado PED suspension dropped at Citizens Bank Park.

A lot can change in three months. Abel has moved on to the Minnesota Twins, and Jhoan Duran has seized the undisputed closer role for the 2025 Philadelphia Phillies.

Alvarado isn’t eligible to pitch in the 2025 MLB Playoffs after the positive PED test for exogenous testosterone. However, he's rejoined the bullpen in the heart of a pennant race.

How will a pitcher restricted to regular-season contributions impact a club with World Series sights that have outweighed the 162-game schedule since Opening Day?

Dave Dombrowski solidified the back end of a struggling bullpen by acquiring Duran ahead of the MLB Trade Deadline. The Phillies also signed David Robertson in July to bolster their middle relief options.

The bullpen looks drastically different than it did before Alvarado’s 80-game absence began in May. The Phillies are no longer holding onto hope that Carlos Hernandez or Jose Ruiz will learn how to harness their velocity with better control. They’re instead defining roles in a bullpen trust tree approaching their fourth straight postseason appearance.

The recent shuffle has allowed left-hander Matt Strahm and right-hander Orion Kerkering to define their roles more clearly as high-leverage set-up men. Tanner Banks has also carved out a serviceable role, and Rob Thomson isn’t under pressure to force botched offseason signings Jordan Romano and Joe Ross into high-leverage innings.

The Phillies now add a rested flamethrower who posted an impressive 2.70 ERA in 20 appearances before the suspension.

The Hefty Lefty appeared to have returned to form after an underwhelming performance in 2024. He had been reaching the same range of velocity as his norms from career seasons in 2022 and 2023. His hard sinker was sitting around 99 miles per hour and surpassing the century mark on his strongest days.

Alvarado's 29.8% strikeout rate in the early months of the season fell short of his otherworldly rates above 37% in 2022 and 2023. However, he was more effectively limiting the free passes with only four walks and no hits batsmen in 20 innings pitched.

The unfortunate news about Zack Wheeler’s blood clot enacts a domino effect on the pitching staff. The starting pitching suddenly isn’t intimidating. The luxury of a six-man rotation isn’t such an obvious strategy to limit the workload through the final six weeks of the regular season.

The priority to rest Cristopher Sanchez and other playoff starting pitching options just became even more important. How will Thomson push for the National League East and a first-round bye while also managing the staff's workload?

A deeper bullpen with Duran, Robertson, and Alvarado can limit pressure on starting pitchers who have carried the Phillies to a solid division lead late in the season.

Jose Alvarado, conversely to the rest of the staff, will empty 100% of the tank during the regular season.

While he’s undoubtedly not excited about sitting for a potential World Series run, his future hinges on his performance during the next six weeks. A strong push during the pennant race would go a long way to convince the Phillies to move past hard feelings about the PED suspension and pick up Alvarado's $9 million club option for the 2026 season.

Dropping a stud lefty into the developing bullpen chemistry creates an awkward mix considering Alvarado’s ineligibility for the postseason.

If the left-handed Jose Alvarado pitches high-leverage innings during the final stretch of the regular season only to leave the bullpen when Red October begins, would it ruin any rhythm the Phillies develop?

Another factor in the organization’s postseason bullpen plan creates a smoother fit for Alvarado. Thomson might lose one left-handed option only to gain one or even two more.

Before the unfortunate situation involving Wheeler, Dombrowski – in an interview with Jayson Stark – had openly acknowledged the possibility of pitching starters out of the bullpen during the postseason.

Two lefties seem like the likeliest candidates. Ranger Suarez pitched in relief twice during the run to the World Series in 2022 and for long regular season stretches early in his MLB career. Jesus Luzardo’s velocity and energy for big moments could also help him transition effectively into a short-term bullpen role.

Dombrowski complimented Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora for “a masterful job of working our starters into our bullpen” during their run together to the World Series in 2018. Thomson will consider a similar strategy.

Cora called for Chris Sale and Nathan Eovaldi in relief after both pitchers had made multiple playoff starts in 2018. Suarez or Luzardo wouldn’t simply step into Alvarado’s role as a primary left-handed relief option. 

More creative options like a piggyback start or an opener to face a pocket of lefties might fit the staff's strengths.

The possible scenario would require Matt Strahm to execute in more traditional relief situations in the late innings during the playoffs. Thomson would likely turn to Strahm in the middle of an inning instead of asking Suarez or Luzardo to take on such an unfamiliar situation.