The Philadelphia Phillies weren't sitting around on their hands after Friday morning's move to trade left-hander Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals. While there are suspicions that the salary dump was a precursor to a larger move, it's difficult to imagine anyone guessing the Phillies' next move would be to trade for left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
It was hard for fans to wrap their heads around the Strahm deal that sent the fan-favorite reliever out of town. But just one day after finalizing the signing of Brad Keller, the trade with the Royals went down nonetheless. The Phillies saved $7.5 million with the move that sees Strahm return to the team that drafted him in 2012.
Then, just a few hours later the Phillies announced the trade for the sidearmer rookie Backhus. The one-for-one deal sees minor league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu go the other way to the desert.
Phillies trade for rookie sidearmer Kyle Backhus from Diamondbacks
Backhus, 27, was an undrafted free agent out of Sam Houston State University who the Diamondbacks signed in 2021. The rookie made his MLB debut this past season, throwing 25 1/3 relief innings with a 4.62 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and 22 strikeouts to eight walks.
One cool note is that Backhus' first major league strikeout came against Cincinnati Reds star Elly De La Cruz on June 8.
We've wrapped up our road trip, so now we bring you Kyle Backhus striking out Elly De La Cruz for his first Major League Strikeout!!! pic.twitter.com/tJwDHcNHuP
— Reno Aces (@Aces) June 8, 2025
While his MLB numbers don't pop off the page, Backhus showed promising results in Triple-A Reno in 2025. He pitched 26 1/3 innings out of the Aces' bullpen and in a hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League (PCL) he posted a tidy 2.05 ERA with 37 strikeouts (31.6 percent strikeout rate) and 20 walks (8.5 percent walk rate).
Backhus, who stands 6-foot-4, leans heavily on his low-90s sinker (63 percent usage) with an upper-70s sweeper and a changeup. He had a quality 4.9 percent barrel rate against and kept a solid 35.4 percent hard-hit rate. One area where he stands out is his 7.2-foot extension, which ranked in the 96th percentile in 2025.
Joining a suddenly very deep bullpen, Backhus has three minor league options remaining, giving the Phillies some flexibility. If he performs, he could easily slide in as Strahm's replacement, thanks to his results against left-handed hitters. He was tough on MLB lefties in 2025, holding them to a .139 average and a .503 OPS with a 24.4 percent strikeout rate.
Owusu-Asiedu, 22, was the Phillies' ninth-round draft pick in 2023 and split the 2025 season between Single- and High-A. The Southern Illinois University product slashed .258/.366/.385 with a .752 OPS, seven home runs, 44 RBIs and 33 stolen bases.
The Phillies are now up to 38 players on their 40-man roster.