Despite their recent stretch of hot hitting, the Philadelphia Phillies remain a pitching-first team. Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, and to a lesser degree Jesús Luzardo are the three main cogs of a dynamite starting rotation.
Unfortunately, the back end of that staff has been atrocious, as washed up veteran Aaron Nola and former top prospect Andrew Painter have failed to give the Phils much of anything this year. There’s not much depth in the minor leagues, but hopefully former Milwaukee Brewer Bryse Wilson can help out the big league club.
Wilson skyrocketed through the Atlanta Braves’ system after being selected in the fourth round of the 2016 MLB Draft, and made his major league debut at just 20 years old back in 2018. Unfortunately, the North Carolina high school product struggled to a 5.90 ERA across parts of four seasons with the Braves, and was shipped to the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Richard Rodríguez halfway through Atlanta’s 2021 World Series-winning season.
Things didn’t improve in the Steel City, where Wilson posted an ugly 5.37 ERA across 156 innings. The Pirates cut bait on the once-well regarded prospect ahead of the 2023 season, letting the Brewers pick him up for just cash considerations.
It was in Milwaukee where things finally started looking up for Wilson, as he put up a sparkling 2.58 ERA over 53 relief outings in 2023. He took a bit of a step back the following season, but still worked to a 4.04 ERA over 104 ⅔ frames as a swingman. Unfortunately for Wilson, that wasn’t enough to earn him a roster spot with the Brewers in 2025, and they declined to offer him a contract. The Chicago White Sox scooped up the burly right-hander for just over $1 million ahead of the 2025 campaign, but Wilson imploded to the tune of a 6.65 ERA in 47 ⅓ innings.
Given the up-and-down nature of Wilson’s big league career, it wasn’t surprising that he didn’t land a major league offer this past winter. Instead, the Phillies signed him to a minor league pact and plugged him into the Triple-A rotation as a cheap depth option. He posted a tragic 9.67 ERA in April for the IronPigs, but has found his footing lately. His most recent start was a four-inning gem in which he surrendered just one hit and punched out five batters.
Can Bryse Wilson help fix the Phillies' rotation problems?
Wilson exercised an opt-out in his deal last week to see if another franchise would give him a better opportunity, but landed back with the Phillies on another minor league contract after failing to find a suitable offer. That’s quite fortuitous for the Phils, considering the fact that the struggles of Nola and Painter may necessitate giving someone else a chance to start games. The IronPigs don’t have much to offer in the way of proven options, with big league castoffs Alan Rangel, Tucker Davison and Connor Gillispie filling out the rotation behind Wilson.
In all likelihood, if the Phillies want to make a meaningful starting rotation addition they’ll need to do it at the trade deadline. However, if they want to put their scant prospect capital to use bringing in a right-handed bat or a high-leverage relief arm, Wilson could very well be the next man up if starts become available. Not to mention, maybe some long relief out of the bullpen, which is incredibly value later in the year. It’s not a very comforting solution, but if he can get back to his Brewers form it just might work.
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