Phillies giving former first-rounder another shot in the rotation

As the Philadelphia Phillies finish up their three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, the team appears to have a surprising move in place. With team ace Zack Wheeler originally in line to start the series finale, that spot will now go to Kolby Allard, who will be recalled from Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs prior to the game, according to Phillies Nation's Tim Kelly.

Phillies giving former first-rounder Kolby Allard another shot in the rotation

The former first-round pick of the Atlanta Braves was originally scheduled to start for the IronPigs on Saturday. As Phillies Tailgate reported on X, Allard's start was scratched, with the Phillies eyeing him for the Sunday start well ahead of time.

This will be Allard's second time up with the Phillies this season. Signed earlier this past offseason to serve as pitching depth, Allard debuted with the Phillies when he was called up to replace the injured Ranger Suárez on the roster in late July. In his first stint with the club, he posted a 1-0 record with a 3.46 ERA and 1.23 WHIP, along with two walks and eight strikeouts over 13 innings pitched in three appearances that included two starts.

On the season, Allard had been mainly pitching in the minors for Lehigh Valley, compiling a 2-8 record with a 5.75 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 80 strikeouts in 81 1/3 innings of work in 21 appearances (including 15 starts) to date. Despite the gaudy numbers, he has been a lot better of late, maintaining an ERA mainly below 4.00 over the past couple of months. 

Allard being called up to give Zack Wheeler and other Phillies starters an extra day of rest

As to the reason behind the decision for such a move by Philadelphia? Kelly unearthed the information from Phillies manager Rob Thomson before Saturday's game.

“Just to give those guys [Phillies’ starters] an extra day,” Thomson explained, per Kelly. “Just to make sure that they’re healthy coming down the stretch. That puts him on both Houston and Atlanta as well. So, you know, I think there’s a couple reasons why.” 

With the Phillies’ starting rotation having its fair share of injuries throughout the season, this cautious approach certainly made a ton of sense for the team both in the short and long-term perspective. Not to mention, they likely wanted to have their best pitcher lined up to go up against the best in the league in the Astros and their long-time rivals, the Braves, in the coming week.

Either way, Allard will hope to make the most of his chances and provide significant contributions now with his second stint with the team. The Phillies will need all the help they can get as they head into the stretch run with teams now breathing down their necks.