The Phillies placed Jhoan Duran on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to April 15, with a left oblique strain, removing their most reliable late-inning arm from a bullpen that has already been stretched thin. Duran had not pitched since last Saturday.
That loss lands hard because Duran had been the closest thing Philadelphia had to certainty in the ninth inning. He posted a 1.35 ERA over 6 2/3 innings, struck out 33.3% of the batters he faced, walked none and converted all five of his save opportunities as the Phillies stumbled to an 8-11 start through their first 19 games. With him out, Jose Alvarado’s 10.50 ERA over six innings only deepens the concern about who gets the ball when the game is on the line.
The Phillies announced five roster moves at the same time they moved Duran to the injured list, a sign they were not just filling one spot but trying to shore up several problems at once. Seth Johnson and Felix Reyes were brought up from Triple-A, Otto Kemp was optioned and Pedro Leon was released. Reyes had his contract selected to the 40-man roster for the first time and was expected to make his major league debut as soon as he entered a game.
Philadelphia now has to sort through a late-inning picture that looks more improvised than settled. Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks were all mentioned as possible pitchers to get save chances, but none arrives with Duran’s track record or the clean certainty that usually defines a closer. The Phillies have a shaky bullpen, no obvious single replacement for the ninth inning, and a starter-era problem in a part of the game that often decides whether a team climbs out of an early hole or keeps digging.
Reyes’ path to the roster carries its own jolt. He signed internationally with the Phillies in 2020 and has spent years waiting for this opening, hitting.333/.345/.654 with six home runs in 84 plate appearances at Triple-A this season. Leon, meanwhile, had been trying to revive his stock after appearing in seven major league games for the Astros in 2024, then opening this season at Triple-A with a.285/.358/.326 line over 53 plate appearances. Kemp had 22 plate appearances and two hits before the demotion. Johnson’s arrival, along with Reyes’, gives Philadelphia fresh bodies, but not a simple answer.
Unless Duran’s strain proves very mild, he could be out for at least a month, and that is a long stretch for a club already leaning on contingency plans. The Phillies do not just need an arm; they need someone who can make the ninth feel ordinary again.