Harper Helped Ease Backhus' Mind, Phillies Helping Him Elevate His Game

Wednesday was the second spring start for Aaron Nola and the 2026 Grapefruit League debut of Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, but it was also another scoreless outing for bullpen hopeful Kyle Backhus, the low-sidearm left-handed reliever acquired from the Arizona Diamondbacks in mid-December for minor-league outfielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu.

Backhus has pitched four scoreless innings in camp, putting three men on base and striking out three. All four of the Team Canada hitters he faced on Wednesday were lefties. He struck out two to strand a one-out walk.

Backhus quickly garnered attention for his unique delivery. The Phillies don't have and haven't had anyone coming at that angle from the left side in quite a while. The last one was probably Hoby Milner in 2018, so long ago that Bryce Harper wasn't even here yet.

Kyle Backhus is going to be a problem in the NL East. pic.twitter.com/05PriX99nH
— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) December 19, 2025

Dropping down

Backhus hasn't been throwing like this forever. In college at Sam Houston State, his arm slot was closer to three-quarters, though it leaned toward sidearm. He changed to his current low-sidearm angle in the offseason leading into 2022 after conversations with former Diamondbacks pitching coach Barry Enright.

"I added the hunch-over and lower slot in 2022 when I became a full-time reliever," he said at his locker last week before facing the Tigers.

"There was a suggestion made by one of my pitching coaches. He wanted me to try something different. I was good enough to make it through the college ranks but in order to have a chance in the big leagues, I had to do something different. I didn't throw very hard. That suggestion just clicked with me. It felt normal when I dropped down. Nothing was different other than the look of things."

Handled lefties, hurt by righties

Backhus made 32 appearances for the D-backs last season and held lefties to 5-for-36, a .139 batting average. Righties crushed him, hitting .365 with a .988 OPS.

"I'm pretty sure he dominated lefties pretty good last year but righties gave him more trouble so he's been working on that side of the plate, trying to be a little more effective against righties," J.T. Realmuto said last week after catching Backhus for the first time in a game.

"Just his angle is really tough. If he throws his fastball in on righties, it's going to be really tough to turn on that just because it's coming in with so much angle. That's something he's been working on this spring, being able to front-hip righties with the fastball and not just throw it away. And also he's working on a changeup."

So far in spring training, right-handed hitters are 1-for-7 off Backhus with a strikeout and three groundouts, one of them a double-play ball.

The Phillies' ability to help him develop instantly appealed to Backhus. He's seen the work they've done with other veteran relievers in recent years and it helped soften the blow of a trade he did not expect.

"They want to win, I want to win, and I think they're going to help me elevate my game," he said.

Greeted by the MVP

One of the first texts Backhus received after the trade was from Harper, which went a long way in making him feel at home with his new team.

"The day after the trade, Harp texted me and welcomed me to the team. And then when I got here and started meeting the guys, it was like I've known them forever," he said.

"It was pretty fresh off the trade so I was still processing everything, but to get that text, between the front office and Harp texting me, it was pretty special. It put my mind at ease and honestly just helped me look forward to the season. I was like, this is the team I'm on, I know the vision they have, I know they've been there the last few years making the playoffs, I just want to do everything I can to help."

Inside track?

Backhus is squarely in the mix for one of the Phillies' final two bullpen spots. The unique look he offers gives him a leg up, as does his status as an optionable reliever who can freely be sent down to Triple A if he struggles or a fresh arm is needed. It would also help to have a third lefty in the bullpen behind Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks.

"At the end of the day, everybody's here to earn a spot on the big-league team," he said. "For me, it's been pretty easy to just come in every day and try to do my job. I don't have any control over who's going to do what. With how easygoing the guys are in this clubhouse, it makes it a lot easier to try to compete for a spot without it rattling you."