A Mixed Bag Tuesday for Phillies Relievers Fighting to Make the Team

The Phillies had their second bullpen game in three days Tuesday against the Marlins in Jupiter, Fla., some four hours away from Clearwater on the East Coast of Florida.

Starter-turned-reliever Seth Johnson pitched a scoreless first inning against Miami, throwing nine of his 17 pitches for strikes.

Max Lazer allowed a run and four baserunners in the second inning, and Nolan Hoffman followed with a scoreless third.

Johnson, Lazar and Hoffman are three right-handers in the mix for one of the Phillies' final two bullpen spots. It's a battle that includes pitchers who have been in the organization at least a few years like Johnson and Hoffman; veterans like Lou Trivino, Tim Mayza, Trevor Richards and Genesis Cabrera; and newer Phillies like Kyle Backhus, Zach McCambley, Zach Pop and Chase Shugart.

Johnson was a starting pitching prospect when the Phillies acquired him from the Baltimore Orioles at the 2024 trade deadline for left-handed reliever Gregory Soto. Johnson made eight starts down the stretch that season in the Phillies' system — two at Double A, five at Triple A and one in the majors, which did not go well.

The Phillies converted Johnson to the bullpen early last season and it resulted in an increase to upper-90s velocity. He'll need to rein in the free passes, though. He walked 35 last season in 60⅔ innings at Triple A. Johnson ended up making 10 appearances in the majors last season, eight of them between July 9 and August 4 when he replaced Mick Abel on the active roster the final time the Phillies sent Abel down before trading him to Minnesota for closer Jhoan Duran.

If Johnson doesn't make the Phillies' roster out of camp, he figures to pitch in leverage relief at Triple A for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Same for Lazar and Hoffman, who, like Johnson, have minor-league options remaining. The Phillies acquired Hoffman in cash deal with the Rangers last July. He made one appearance for them in the majors last season. Lazar made 36.

The Phillies' projected "starter" on Wednesday in Clearwater against the Tigers is Brad Keller, the right-handed setup man they signed to a two-year, $22 million contract in mid-December. He'll pitch the first inning to get his work in. Keller will play for Team USA with Bryce Harper and Kyle Schwarber, three of the 10 Phillies big-leaguers leaving camp in the first days of March to play in the World Baseball Classic.

Taijuan Walker is expected to start Thursday for the Phillies in Clearwater against the Nationals, and from there the other members of the Phillies' projected season-opening rotation will follow. They haven't had one of their expected starting five pitch yet in Grapefruit League games, with depth pieces Bryse Wilson and Alan Rangel starting the two non-bullpen games so far.

The Phillies lost to the Marlins Tuesday, 6-1, mustering only one hit through six innings and four for the game. Trea Turner, Bryson Stott, Rafael Marchan, Bryan De La Cruz and Johan Rojas each started and exited after the top of the sixth inning, the standard length of an early-spring start.