Phillies’ surprise waiver claim, Tyler Phillips DFA finalize Opening Day bullpen

It's been a week of tough conversations for Philadelphia Phillies manager Rob Thomson as the team gets closer to finalizing it's 26-man roster for Opening Day. That was especially true earlier this week when the Phillies optioned longtime backup catcher Garrett Stubbs to Triple-A and announced that Rafael Marchán had won the job backing up starting catcher J.T. Realmuto to begin the season.

Those tough conversations continued this weekend, with the Phillies sending bullpen hopeful's Nabil Crismatt and Michael Mercardo down to Triple-A to begin the year. With the final spot in the bullpen unsettled, the latest round of spring training cuts seemed to indicate that right-hander Tyler Phillips, who is out of minor league options, would make the Opening Day roster. All of that changed after Sunday's 4-2 victory over the Detroit Tigers in the second-to-last spring training game when the team announced two major roster moves.

Phillies claim hard-throwing Carlos Hernández, DFA Tyler Phillips to finalize Opening Day bullpen

The Phillies Opening Day bullpen appears set as the team announced that they had claimed hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Hernández off waivers from the Kansas City Royals, while also releasing Tyler Phillips to make room. It's a tough break for Phillips, a South Jersey native who made his debut with the Phillies last season and started seven games for the team last summer.

Phillips was given every chance to impress in exhibition play after appearing in seven games for the Phillies this spring. But that extended look did Phillips more harm than good, as the 27-year-old produced a concerning a 7.59 ERA and walked seven batters in 10 2/3 innings while allowing 10 hits and nine earned runs in the process. Out of minor league options, releasing Phillips wasn't an unexpected move.

The Phillies front office clearly felt they could get better, and with the transaction wire once again active as MLB teams around the league make final roster cuts, the team was quick to claim Hernández off waivers from the Royals in a move that adds another electric arm to a Phillies bullpen that's already more than capable of lighting up the radar gun.

Hernández comes to the Phillies featuring a four-pitch mix that primarily includes a 100 mph fastball and a slider, but is also known to throw a splitter and a knuckle curve. But Hernández's calling card is his upper 90s fastball, and despite a career record of 7-19 and 4.59 ERA in 256 1/3 career innings split between the Royals’ bullpen and starting rotation, the Phillies have likely found a pitcher who they view as a project in the short-term. It's a big if, but if Hernández can cut down on allowing walks this season, his fastball/slider combo could make him the right-handed answer to José Alvarado in the bullpen over the course of the year. What's very clear is that when Hernández is locating his pitches for strikes, opposing hitters have looked overmatched.

While the strikeout potential Hernández has flashed throughout his career is certainly enticing, it should be noted that he's not exactly coming off a dominant showing in Royals spring training camp. Over 10 1/3 innings this spring, Hernández is the owner of a 6.97 ERA and has walked five hitters and allowed 10 hits while allowing eight earned runs, with two of those coming by way of the long ball. It's clear that Phillies pitching coach Caleb Cotham and the team's pitching coordinators will look to fix some of these flaws once he arrives. If they're succesful, the Phillies could have another nightmare for hitters to face lurking down in the bullpen this year.

As for Phillips, his release doesn't come as a total shock. After entering spring training out of options, Phillips seemed to be a long-shot for a bullpen spot before injuries to Matt Strahm and Ranger Suárez opened up the possibility of two open spots before Matt Strahm was upgraded to healthy for the Phillies final exhibition game on Monday ahead of the season opener next week. With Taijuan Walker set to handle the fifth starter's role in Suárez's absence, it looked like Phillips could have the final bullpen spot locked up. Now a free agent, Phillips could latch onto a rival MLB team lacking starting pitching depth, and it's always possible he re-signs with the Phillies on a minor league deal if he can't secure an MLB roster spot elsewhere.