Phillies place Hand on IL, bring up former All-Star from Triple A originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
One of the Phillies’ high-leverage relievers hit the shelf just before their final home game of the regular season Sunday as Brad Hand was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendinitis.
Veteran reliever Chris Devenski had his contract selected from Triple A to join the Phillies’ active roster in Hand’s place. Devenski was an All-Star and the Astros’ setup man in 2017. He had a 2.38 ERA in 189 innings over his first two big-league seasons before several years of injury and underperformance.
At his best, Devenski can put hitters away with a nasty changeup, by far his best pitch.
The 31-year-old Devenski made 10 appearances with the Diamondbacks earlier this season before being released on August 27. The Phillies signed him to a minor-league deal two days later.
To make room on the 40-man roster for Devenski, the Phillies designated for assigment utilityman Johan Camargo, who had fallen behind Nick Maton and Yairo Muñoz on the organizational depth chart.
Hand, signed to a one-year, $6 million contract, has appeared in 55 games with the Phillies. He has a 2.80 ERA but has been hit around lately, allowing nine runs and 17 baserunners in his last 8⅓ innings.
He’s one of several key relievers for the Phillies who has faded down the stretch. Seranthony Dominguez and David Robertson had clean outings Saturday but have struggled in September. Dominguez allowed seven earned runs while recording three outs in his prior two appearances, while Robertson has walked six and allowed five runs in his last 8⅔ innings.
Jose Alvarado is currently the Phillies’ most reliable reliever. He’s been scored upon in just three of his last 36 appearances, achieving better results with better control. Alvarado’s struck out 53 while walking just 10 without hitting a batter in those 31⅓ innings.
Zach Eflin has also begun to emerge as a late-inning relief option. He’s made four appearances out of the bullpen since returning from a nearly three-month stint on the injured list, allowing just two baserunners and no earned runs over 4⅔ innings with six strikeouts.