Prior to Sunday's game against the Miami Marlins, the Philadelphia Phillies took to Twitter to announce a pair of roster moves surrounding two relief pitchers.
- LHP José Alvarado has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to July 7) with left elbow inflammation.
- RHP Andrew Bellatti has been recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Sunday's game will be the final one played before the All-Star Break, so Alvarado is not going to be missing a whole lot of actual game time with his latest injury. Of note, this is the second time this season the big left-hander was put on the shelf with left elbow inflammation.
Despite the fact that this is his second trip to the injured list this year, Alvarado has been pitching at an incredible rate for the Phillies. In a total of 26 outings, the 28-year-old has a 1.38 ERA, 2.33 FIP and 313 ERA+. Along the way, he has recorded six saves and is currently striking out 13.5 batters per nine innings and bringing his walk rate down from last year. His absence from the 'pen will be a noticeable one, but the aforementioned All-Star Break will help matters for the team.
Bellatti, another former Tampa Bay Rays hurler, is back up in the big leagues after dominating in Triple-A. The right-hander made 15 appearances for the Phillies earlier this year but had difficulties keeping batters off the bases and runs off the board, leading to his demotion.
In 15 appearances for Lehigh Valley, the 31-year-old looked like a whole new player. He posted a sparkling 1.20 ERA with 20 strikeouts and just four walks in 17 innings of work. His stay on the active roster may not be a long one by the time the All-Star Break comes and goes, but he has done more than enough to earn another shot at some big league playing time.