The Phillies announced on Friday that pitching prospect Alex McFarlane has been called up from Double-A Reading to the majors prior to the first game of their weekend series in Atlanta.
The 24-year-old will skip past Triple-A Lehigh Valley and instead jump straight to MLB. He will make his major league debut if and when he enters a game. Currently, that would involve halting a nine-game losing streak. No pressure.
What do the Phillies have with reliever Alex McFarlane?
In McFarlane, the Phillies bullpen is adding a hard-throwing option who relies on an upper-90s fastball.
McFarlane is a converted starter who spent the first two-plus seasons of his professional career in a rotation role.
After undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of 2024 while rehabbing, McFarlane struggled with control while posting a 4.72 across 24 appearances and 18 starts with High-A Jersey Shore last season.
Following a late season move to the bullpen, McFarlane did earn a four-game cup of coffee with Reading to end the season, though he struggled to an ERA over 6.00.
This season, McFarlane is off to a great start since finding a full time home in the bullpen. In seven outings with the Fighin Phils in 2026, he has pitched to a 1.42 ERA while allowing a run in just one appearance. He has struck out 1.6 batters per inning, while doing a decent job in limiting walks.
The former Miami Hurricane also made three appearances in Grapefruit League play during spring training, all resulting in scoreless one-inning outings. McFarlane fanned two batters against the Miami Marlins in his first appearance, including punching out Marlins star shortstop Xavier Edwards.
The former 2022 fourth-round selection ranks on the back half of MLB Pipeline’s top 30 Phillies prospects, coming in at 19. The outlet gives McFarlane’s fastball an above-average grade, while rating his slider as average. He also picked up a sweeper during spring training .
McFarlane adds a fifth right-hander to the Phillies bullpen mix, mixing in with Orion Kerkering, Brad Keller, Chase Shugart and the recently recalled Nolan Hoffman.
While the fact that the team didn’t have to make a 40-man move to add McFarlane to the roster probably played a part in his call-up, he will likely continue to receive major league chances as an optionable arm throughout 2026 if he attains results even close to his minor league output.
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