On Sunday, the Philadelphia Phillies made a potential low-risk, high-reward move to add valuable depth to their bullpen for the stretch run. With the Pittsburgh Pirates expunging key veterans from their roster as they head towards a youth movement for the final month of the season, the Phillies dove in to claim reliever Tim Mayza off waivers. In a corresponding move, ace Zack Wheeler was transferred to the 60-day injured list to make room for the lefty reliever on the Phillies’ 40-man roster.
The Phillies have claimed LHP Tim Mayza off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. To make room on the 40-man roster, RHP Zack Wheeler was transferred to the 60-day injured list.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 31, 2025
Mayza, who was born in Allentown, PA, and had been a local kid that happened to play high school and university ball in Pennsylvania as well, will now have the opportunity to return home and live the dream of playing on the biggest stage in front of his home supporters.
Phillies claim Pennsylvania’s own Tim Mayza from Pirates with eyes on late-season redemption
The 33-year-old left-hander will certainly hope that the motivation to play in front of his home crowd and for a legitimate playoff contender in the Phillies will help him rediscover his dominant form seen during his 2023 season with the Toronto Blue Jays. That year, Mayza put up the best numbers of his career by posting a 3-1 record with a sparkling 1.52 ERA and 1.22 WHIP, giving up just nine earned runs all year along with 53 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings over 69 relief appearances.
However, the eight-year MLB veteran has failed to reproduce such results ever since, having moved around to the New York Yankees and more recently the Pirates organization in the process. Mayza had signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh in the offseason. He appeared to be well on his way to redemption when he compiled a tidy 2.89 ERA and 1.07 WHIP with eight strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings pitched over his first seven outings of the year. But an ill-timed shoulder lat strain along with a teres major injury that occurred in mid-April shut down the lefty reliever for the bulk of the 2025 season.
He made four rehab starts in Triple-A before being released, posting a 1.93 ERA with six strikeouts and no walks in 4 2/3 innings.
As a result, Mayza will look to continue to his road to redemption with the likely playoff-bound Phillies, as they aim to lock down first place in the NL East in the process. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber, Mayza will join the Phillies on Monday when rosters expand.
With Philadelphia enduring some issues with their bullpen for the most part this season prior to their recent turnaround, taking a chance on a former lefty standout could help further stabilize their relief corps heading into the stretch run. For the Phillies’ sake, they will hope that this gamble with another former Blue Jays reliever will actually pay off this time around.