The Philadelphia Phillies, riding a four-game sweep of the reeling New York Mets to an 11-game lead in the National League East, have an opportunity to experiment this weekend, adding a sixth member to their post-Zack Wheeler rotation.
That would be playoff hero Walker Buehler, who closed out last year's World Series with the Dodgers, but hasn't closed much this season, other than "the book on a number of subpar outings". The Phillies picked Buehler up after the Boston Red Sox finally had enough of him a few weeks back and pivoted to a youth movement, handing the ball to left-hander Payton Tolle instead.
Buehler, who joined the Phillies organization before the Sept. 1 cutoff line, will be eligible for postseason play if the team deems him worthy of a roster spot. While his first appearance with Triple-A Lehigh Valley wasn't enough of an about-face to inspire confidence (five strikeouts, but three walks on 78 pitches in three frames), he'll get a chance to argue for himself a bit more loudly on Friday night at The Bank against the Kansas City Royals.
In order to make room for Buehler, the Phillies weakened their bullpen, placing José Alvarado on the Injured List, seemingly out of nowhere. A 40-man roster move was also necessary to bring Buehler to the bigs, so the Phillies DFA'd former Tigers top prospect Matt Manning.
Phillies are putting José Alvarado on the IL to get Walker Buehler on active roster. They’ll make a 40-man roster move too.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) September 12, 2025
Phillies place José Alvarado on Injured List to clear path for Walker Buehler Friday night start
Alvarado is ineligible for this season's playoff roster, given the 80-game PED suspension that was bestowed upon him in mid-May. That suspension allowed the Phillies to get a look at several other bullpen options in new roles, and may have emboldened the unit. Alvarado last pitched on Wednesday against the Mets, allowing one run in one inning.
The diagnosis is a forearm strain, and manager Rob Thomson agrees that Alvarado is now formally done for the season. The focus turns now to Buehler and other potential postseason options. Who knows what Philly has in Buehler, but there's only one way to find out if he still can provide the same lightning-in-a-bottle value he did last October under duress.