Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jordan Romano has struggled significantly to start the regular season. Romano had a good spring training. Now, after five outings, it is clear the Phillies might have made a mistake. The Romano signing this past offseason was already a questionable decision, and it now looks even more questionable. Romano did not allow an earned run in nine spring training appearances. However, Romano has a 15.75 ERA and a blown save in five regular-season outings. Romano is coming off a 2024 season where he did not pitch after May 29 due to an elbow injury, leading him to have 15 appearances. Last season, Romano had a 6.59 ERA and was eight-for-nine in save situations.
Romano Struggling Should Lead To Adjusted Phillies Bullpen
Romano set himself up to be the closer in situations where a right-handed pitcher would close. The Phillies use a closer-by-committee system. José Alvarado appears to be back on track and has been the primary left-handed closer. Alvarado and Romano have combined to record the three saves the Phillies have this season. Romano has a blown save this season, which Alvarado does not have. Alvarado along with Orion Kerkering and Matt Strahm have been the Phillies most reliable high leverage relief pitchers so far this season.
Romano has a 22.50 ERA in April and did not record an out in his most recent appearance. In addition, Romano has a 27.3% strikeout rate and an 18.2% walk rate this season. Romano should not be considered a high-leverage relief pitcher if he is going to walk batters at that rate. Furthermore, Romano has given up at least one hit in each of his five appearances. Romano has given up at least two runs in three of his five outings. Opposing batters have a .353 average and a .500 BABIP against Romano this season.
Players Who Will Need To Step Up
Kerkering has a chance to emerge as the Phillies closer this season. With Romano having troubles, Kerkering should be the go-to right-handed pitcher for manager Rob Thomson in high-leverage situations. In four outings this season, Kerkering has not allowed an earned run. Kerkering has an 18.8% strikeout rate, and a 6.3% walk rate this season. Opposing batters have a .267 average and a .333 BABIP against Kerkering this season. Kerkering does have a blown save this season and has 17 career holds but has blown each of his three save attempts. Kerkering receiving more chances to close out games will improve this number.
José Ruiz or Joe Ross would be in line to move into a high-leverage role if Romano is moved out. Ruiz has one save in his major league career, which came last season. This season, Ruiz has a 3.86 ERA in four appearances. Ruiz had a 1.99 ERA after the All-Star break last season. Additionally, opposing batters had a .143/.188/.214 line against Ruiz in high-leverage situations last season. Ross has a 2.25 ERA in three outings this year. Last season, Ross had a 1.67 ERA as a relief pitcher and a 4.98 ERA as a starter. Opposing batters had a .250/.381/.250 lines against Ross in high-leverage situations last year.
Main Photo Credits: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
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