Are Phillies Getting Hidden Bullpen Gem in White Sox Castoff Bryse Wilson?

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t formally announced the signing of Bryse Wilson, but he could be an asset to their bullpen.

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Lost amid the excitement over re-signing Kyle Schwarber was the Philadelphia Phillies landing another bullpen piece earlier this week.

Per The New York Post’s Jon Heyman on X (formerly Twitter), the Phillies reached a one-year agreement with Chicago White Sox reliever Bryse Wilson. The deal hasn’t been announced, and the transaction doesn’t appear on his MLB.com page. At this time of year, there tends to be a lag between agreements and signings, especially for players who are not of Schwarber’s caliber.

It could be a Major League or minor league deal with an invitation to spring training. The Phillies have 40-man roster space to sign Wilson to a big-league deal without impacting their roster.

So, what are they getting in the right-hander?

Bryse Wilson’s Philadelphia Fit

First, Philadelphia is getting a versatile pitcher. Since he made his MLB debut in 2018 with Atlanta, he’s started 57 of his 163 MLB appearances. Most of that was concentrated in 2021 and 2022 with Atlanta and Pittsburgh. The results weren’t great, as he went 6-16 with an ERA above 5.00. In fact, for his first five seasons, he never posted an ERA below 5.00.

In 2023 he landed in Milwaukee and something happened. Something clicked. He pitched exclusively out of the bullpen and he flourished, going 6-0 with a 2.58 ERA in 53 appearances. He registered five holds with three saves in four chances. He also struck out 61 and walked 22 in 76.2 innings as batters hit just .211 against him. He experienced career highs across the board.

So, what happened? Per his Baseball Savant page, he moved into the 65th percentile or better in three key areas — walk rate (72%), barrel rate (65%) and hard-hit percentage (73%). He walked fewer hitters, hitters that made contact didn’t square up as often or hit the ball as hard as they had previously. Wilson made heavy use of a sinker and a cut fastball, which he threw 70% of the time that season. While he still had a starter’s arsenal, he relied on what worked.

Getting back to that form is key if Wilson hopes to stick with the Phillies and make an impact because he experienced some regression after that. In 2024, his walk rate only dropped to the 66th percentile among pitchers. But the barrel rate (21%) and the hard-hit percentage (10%) plummeted. Those numbers only got worse with the White Sox last season, where he went 0-2 with a 6.65 ERA in 20 appearances with five starts.  

Chicago designated him for assignment twice. He went through waivers twice and no one claimed him. The Phillies are taking a chance that Wilson can get back to what he was in 2023. If so, he can be a real asset ahead of closer Jhoan Duran next season.