Walker Buehler-Phillies Signing Highlights Postseason Roster Eligibility Rules

The Philadelphia Phillies have been on the look out for some more pitching and landed a new piece on Sunday.

Philadelphia inked former two-time All-Star Walker Buehler to a minor league deal and assigned him to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs, per the team.

"The Phillies have signed free agent right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler to a minor league contract and assigned him to triple-A Lehigh Valley," the team announced.

Philadelphia's deal with Buehler comes at an intriguing time across Major League Baseball and it likely won't be the last move we see getting done. The reason for this is that according to league rules, players have to be in an organization as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31 in order to be postseason eligible. It's important to note that this doesn't mean that they have to be on the active roster, but the rules state that a player can be on the 40-man roster or 60-day Injured List.

"In a typical season, any player who is on the 40-man roster or 60-day injured list as of 11:59 p.m. ET on Aug. 31 is eligible for the postseason," per the league website. "Those on the restricted list at that point are also eligible if they haven't been suspended for performance-enhancing drugs during that season. (All players who have served a suspension for PEDs in a given season are ineligible for postseason play that year.)"

The Phillies just added some more firepower

Aug 19, 2025; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Walker Buehler (0) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

There are other ways to get onto the postseason roster. If a player is in an organization but not on the 40-man roster ahead of 11:59 p.m. ET on August 31st, they can still replace someone on the Injured List if they have served the necessary time, again per league rules.

"A player who doesn't meet said criteria for postseason eligibility can still be added to a team's roster in the postseason via petition to the Commissioner's Office if the player was in the organization on Aug. 31 and is replacing someone who is on the injured list and has served the minimum amount of time required for activation," per the league website. "(For example, a player on the 10-day injured list who has been on it for at least 10 days, or a player who has been on the 60-day injured list for at least 60 days.) Players who are acquired in September or after are ineligible."

That's why a deal with Buehler and the Phillies makes sense right now. The two sides are at least giving themselves a chance to have Buehler on the postseason roster.

More MLB: How Phillies' Walker Buehler Signing Impacts National League Pennant Race