Phillies swap Luis Garcia, Mark Leiter, Jr. out of their bullpen
By John Town
The Phillies sent Luis Garcia to the disabled list and optioned Mark Leiter, Jr. to Triple-A Saturday, calling up two pitchers to replace them.
The Phillies bullpen will have a different look for Saturday’s game against the Brewers with two new pitchers coming in. Luis Garcia was placed on the disabled list and Mark Leiter, Jr. was optioned to Triple-A. To replace them, Yacksel Rios and Jake Thompson were both called up from Lehigh Valley.
Garcia was placed on the disabled list with a right wrist strain. The last time he pitched was Tuesday night against the Rockies. He gave up four straight singles to start the ninth inning, allowing a run to score. He was charged with all three runs that scored in the inning as Seranthony Dominguez was forced to secure the win.
Garcia was really struggling before winding up on the DL. He had an 8.31 ERA and 1.62 WHIP, giving up two home runs since May 17. If he was dealing with this issue, it would explain a lot. Spending time on the disabled list is probably best for Garcia so he can figure things out.
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Leiter spent the first month and a half of the season on the disabled list after suffering a forearm strain during spring training. He made four appearances this month, pitching multiple innings in a mop-up role. Leiter had a 4.50 ERA and 1.25 WHIP in eight innings. He gave up two runs in 1.2 innings Friday night before being optioned.
Rios and Thompson were both in the majors earlier this year, but neither had much success. Thompson made three outings earlier this year, allowing eight runs in 8.2 innings. After being sent back to Triple-A, he appeared in 17 games, starting three times. He had a 5.17 ERA and 1.44 WHIP, walking 15 batters in 31.1 innings.
Meanwhile, Rios made 18 appearances, posting a 5.29 ERA. He dealt with command issues, walking 8.9 percent of opposing hitters. He was optioned back on May 19 when Victor Arano returned from the disabled list. Rios pitched 10 innings in Lehigh Valley, continuing to deal with command problems. He walked 10 batters, walking multiple in a single outing four times.
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Rios and Thomspon likely won’t do much to help a bullpen that has been struggling mightily in recent weeks. At this point though, any change is worth trying.