The Philadelphia Phillies upset a lot of fans with their response to Caleb Kilian's untimely oblique injury, calling Chase Shugart back up immediately after sending him down while keeping Alan Rangel in the 'pen. The bullpen shuffle worked temporarily, as Rangel barely scraped by in relief of Andrew Painter during the team's 6-5 win over the Cardinals on Monday.
With Rangel out of commission for a few days after that effort, the Phillies are finally making good on their post-Kilian plans. They're recalling top pitching prospect Alex McFarlane, who has made just one MLB appearance this year despite already being called up twice before.
In his place, Rangel will head back down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Expect the team to keep shuffling names on and off the active roster as they try to cover innings down the stretch, though McFarlane should get the opportunity to audition for a permanent spot in the bullpen over the coming days.
The Phillies called up Alex McFarlane and optioned Alan Rangel.
— Lochlahn March (@lochlahn) August 11, 2026
Alex McFarlane's MiLB dominance demands a genuine audition for long-term spot in Phillies' bullpen
As aforementioned, McFarlane hasn't seriously been given a chance in the big leagues this year, despite this being his third go-round in Philadelphia. He made his MLB debut back on July 22 against the Dodgers, tossing a scoreless frame before getting optioned back to the minors.
It's a real shame that they haven't trusted him more, because he's been otherworldly down on the farm in 2026; he's posted a 1.83 ERA over 39.1 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, thanks in part to an enormous 34.4% strikeout rate and .173 batting average against.
There's no Statcast data at the Double-A level, but even his four-appearance sample with the IronPigs backs up the hype. He's struck out half of the hitters he's seen in Lehigh Valley, supported by an impressive 33.3% whiff rate. There's also the fact that he has a 46% in-zone swing rate, which is preposterously low. Effectively, this means that Triple-A hitters are simply guessing whenever he's on the mound, praying that what comes out of his hand isn't a strike.
Sounds like the kind of guy the Phillies could use right about now, right? Kilian was a disaster in his brief tenure being going down with injury, while fellow trade deadline acquisition Brooks Raley hasn't impressed in limited action. With set-up man Brad Keller also out for the season, the need for impact relievers in Philly is higher than ever.
There's no guarantee that McFarlane will be able to carry over his dominance from the minor leagues right away, but he's got as much upside as anyone else on the 40-man roster not named Jhoan Duran. Hopefully, Don Mattingly will give him a real chance this time to prove that's he capable of handling big-league hitters.
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