Phillies Need To Keep Giving Chances to Alex McFarlane

Philadelphia Phillies fans were clamoring for top prospect Alex McFarlane to get a shot in the Major League bullpen, and they finally got their wish.

McFarlane was passed over in favor of Chase Shugart when Caleb Kilian went on the injured list. But when Alan Rangel was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after pitching 2.2 innings of relief behind Andrew Painter, it was the young righty who was brought back up to the Major Leagues.

This is the third time McFarlane has been promoted to the Big Leagues this season, but hopefully this one is more permanent. He didn’t make an appearance the first time, and the second time, he threw a scoreless inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers before being optioned and promoted to Triple-A.

He took the mound against the St. Louis Cardinals on Aug. 11, and he did give up one run in the outing, facing the heart of their lineup. However, there is a lot to like about his makeup, and he is someone the Phillies need to continue giving opportunities to.

Alex McFarlane proves MLB-ready despite giving up a run

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane (71) walks off the field. — Aug 11, 2026; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Alex McFarlane (71) walks off the field after the seventh inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At this point, interim manager Don Mattingly doesn’t have much to lose. The bullpen is overworked and having a fresh, young arm as talented as McFarlane to turn to in middle relief is something he needs to take advantage of.

As shared by many outlets on X, the stuff that he possesses is legitimate. His arsenal is MLB-ready, with eight of his 26 pitches reaching triple digits on the radar gun. For his first career strikeout, he blew Alec Burleson away with a 100.5 mph fastball.

As shared by Pitch Profiler on X, McFarlane had elite stuff, recording a STUFF+ score of 116 overall. His sweeper, which he threw seven times, had the highest score with a 123. His four-seam fastball, which was thrown nine times, and his slider, which was thrown three times, both had scores of 121.

Results are temporary, stuff is forever pic.twitter.com/5VKFI2Cx3j
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 12, 2026

His sinker, which was thrown seven times, was the lowest-graded pitch in the repertoire with a 100. He generated elite whiff numbers with his four-seam fastball and sweeper, as both look like wipeout offerings.

McFarlane registered the best STUFF+ score of any relief pitcher who took the mound on Aug. 11, which speaks volumes to the kind of upside that he possesses.

Alex McFarlane's stuff graded out best among relievers last night at a 116 proStuff+, even with a run crossing on his inning. Evan Phillips was next at 114 despite a rough 0.1 IP, and Yohan Ramirez graded 112 while tossing 3 scoreless with 5 punchies. pic.twitter.com/IrRAUjJDkx
— Pitch Profiler (@pitchprofiler) August 12, 2026

While some people will point to the surrendered run as a reason why he was called up too early, digging a little deeper into the results paints a much better picture. He has electric arm talent, and Philadelphia certainly needs more of that in their bullpen.

Mattingly will almost certainly want to see more body of work before he is part of the high-leverage, late-inning mix. But with Orion Kerkering struggling recently and Kilian down with an injury, opportunities will assuredly present themselves to McFarlane and Jonathan Bowlan to cement high-leverage roles.

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