Phillies promote Yacksel Rios to the major league bullpen
Phillies promoting Rios marks a new era for an underachieving bullpen
Following Vincent Velasquez’ being placed on the 60-day disabled list the Phillies promoted 24-year-old reliever Yacksel Rios to the 25-man roster.
A 12th round selection in 2011 out of Doctora Conchita Cuevas HS in Gurabo, Puerto Rico, Rios has rocketed through the organization in 2017. Transitioning from the starting rotation to the bullpen Rios has thrived with Reading and Lehigh Valley.
Owning a 7.88 ERA in seven starts last season, Rios saw his ERA drop more than three points as a reliever. Bouncing between the Gulf Coast, Clearwater, and Reading Rios owned a 5.74 ERA with 64 strikeouts and 38 walks in 37 innings.
This season with the Fightin’ Phils and IronPigs Rios worked as a starter in 36 of 37 games owning a 1.92 ERA with 64 strikeouts and only 14 walks in 56.1 innings. The improved K/BB ratio has impressed the organization enough to give him a 40-man roster spot.
Rios joins a major league bullpen with a 4.40 ERA over 400 innings of work in 2017, nearly .30 points over the major league average.
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Having Pat Neshek and Joaquin Benoit depart at the trade deadline, Philadelphia’s bullpen has seen their cumulative ERA rise from 3.73 in July to 4.35 in August.
Hector Neris, Mark Leiter Jr., and Luis Garcia have been asked to step up in the bullpen with the trades of Neshek and Benoit.
At the same time, more young arms have joined the ‘pen, now composed with Holby Milner, Jesen Therrien, and Edubray Ramos. Adding another heralded arm like Rios will hopefully boost a weary group of arms.
Next: Vince Velasquez Going to the DL
Rios will join the team at home as the Miami Marlins enter for an extended home series that includes a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.