The Phillies took advantage of the 26th man rule for the doubleheader scheduled for Tuesday against Miami in Philadelphia to add utility player Pedro Florimon to the roster. The hope was that the club could have some extra bench help while outfielder Odubel Herrera was out for a few days. However, that plan did not work as they had hoped and the club had to place Herrera on the 10-day disabled list before last night's game in San Francisco.
To replace Herrera, the Phillies will summon pitcher Ben Lively from Triple-A Lehigh Valley, according to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Lively will assume the rotation spot formerly held by Vince Velasquez, but was taken for a day by Mark Leiter, Jr. Leiter will return to the bullpen, where he has excelled as a long-man.
The move means the Phillies will have to also find another pitcher to start Tuesday's doubleheader. Nick Pivetta, who on paper is a member of the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, will start one of the two games. Aaron Nola, who last pitched Thursday, would be on normal rest to start a game of the doubleheader, and could be followed in the rotation by Zach Eflin on Wednesday, Jerad Eickhoff on Thursday and Lively on Friday.
The Phillies might then need a starter on Saturday, since Nola and Pivetta would not have enough rest. Jake Thompson was scratched from his Wednesday start and instead started last night. The Phillies could slot Thompson in any day of the week after Tuesday to keep everyone with enough rest, or, the Phillies could start Leiter once again. The team has a few days to decide how they will slot their pitchers.
