The Philadelphia Phillies have been tinkering with their roster a lot lately due to injuries and slumping players. However, the major league team hasn’t been the only club making moves in recent weeks. Their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, has joined the fray.
On Monday, the IronPigs executed a mass exodus of players that included one-time Phillies bullpen hero Ricardo Pinto. Joining Pinto in the announced releases were right-handed pitcher Max Castillo, left-handed pitcher Taylor Lehman and infielder Nick Podkul.
One-time Phillies bullpen hero Ricardo Pinto becomes a casualty of mass Triple-A roster cuts
Pinto was signed by the Phillies to a minor league contract back in February to serve as pitching depth for the organization. He surprisingly got his chance early in the 2024 MLB season when the Phillies designated Connor Brogdon for assignment after three sub-par outings to start the season.
Pinto will be remembered most for having to fight through a traffic jam on the day he was called up. He managed to finally get to the Phillies’ game by the fourth inning, only to make his Phillies debut just shortly after, in the sixth, without a breather. He ended up throwing four innings, giving up three runs on five hits while striking out four. Incredibly, after all that had happened, he concluded his memorable day by picking up his first career save.
However, the feel-good story only lasted for so long. Pinto was eventually designated for assignment by the end of the month after struggling in his subsequent outings. He posted a 10.97 ERA and 2.25 WHIP in six appearances. Pinto elected for free agency after clearing waivers but ended up rejoining the Phillies organization once again with hopes that he would get another chance, which never came to be.
Phillies release three other underperforming minor leaguers
The Phillies claimed Max Castillo off waivers from the Boston Red Sox in February to serve as valuable pitching depth, given his experience both as a starter and reliever. However, it wasn’t meant to be for the 25-year-old, as he went 0-6 with a 7.62 ERA and 1.77 WHIP over 14 games in the minors.
Taylor Lehman had spent his past six seasons in the Phillies minor league system, primarily as a reliever. This year, he had ongoing struggles with the IronPigs, posting a 5.73 ERA and 1.79 WHIP with a whopping 29 walks and 37 strikeouts in 33 innings pitched over 38 appearances.
As for Nick Podkul, he joined the Phillies organization back during the 2022-23 offseason on a minor league deal. In 2024, he compiled a .231 average and .781 OPS, along with 35 runs scored, seven doubles, nine home runs and 34 RBI in 60 games.
The IronPigs are currently trying to chase down a potential second-half playoff spot. As much as these releases were a fallout of moves made by the Phillies at the big league level, it will serve to also help maximize the potential of Lehigh Valley to add potential impactful players to their roster to help them in their stretch run.