Connor Brogdon designated for assignment; Phillies call up pitcher Ricardo Pinto

The Phillies designated right-handed pitcher Connor Brogdon for assignment before their game against the Reds on Tuesday. To take Brogdon’s spot on the 26-man roster, the Phillies called up right-hander Ricardo Pinto from triple-A Lehigh Valley. Their 40-man roster stands at 39.

The Phillies were unable to send Brogdon, 29, down to the minors because he was out of options. If he clears waivers, he can be sent to the minor leagues.

After giving up a go-ahead grand slam to the Reds on Monday night, Brogdon was candid about how much he has struggled over the past year. He said he’d felt inconsistent with his mechanics since he was sent to the minors in June 2023.

» READ MORE: Spencer Turnbull is embracing his ‘fresh start’ and new challenge with the Phillies

“Every day I feel like I am right there,” Brogdon said. “And I felt like I was right there today. I was talking to [director of pitching development] Brian Kaplan, I think I’ve simplified it, I think I’ve got it down, and then tonight happens. So, I do always feel like I’m right there, but the results aren’t really showing that.”

When Brogdon was at his best — take the 2022 World Series, for example — he wasn’t thinking too much. Entering that series, he noticed a tangible difference between his ability to locate his pitches when his front side slipped, and made a mechanical adjustment. He saw immediate results. He felt powerful and confident.

Back then, Brogdon was someone manager Rob Thomson could turn to in high-leverage spots. He allowed no earned runs and just three hits in three World Series appearances. He threw 96-97 mph with a nasty changeup, which he used to strike out Yordan Alvarez and Kyle Tucker (twice).

He looks like a different pitcher now. Last year, Brogdon’s walk rate nearly doubled, from 5.9% in 2022 to 10.2% in 2023, and his strikeout rate dropped from 26.6% in 2022 to 20.5% in 2023. He posted a 4.03 ERA. After he was sent down to triple A in June 2023, he was not called back up.

He was not lights out in spring training this year — racking up almost as many walks (six) as strikeouts (seven) — but he made the opening-day roster for a fourth straight year. By this point, the velocity on his four-seam fastball had dropped to an average of 92.8 mph. He thinks that drop could have been caused by his mechanical issues, too, but he isn’t certain.

Regardless, it has been a steep fall from grace for a pitcher who was drafted by the Phillies in the 10th round in 2017 and has spent seven years in their organization. He walked off the mound on Monday night with a 27.00 ERA in three games. He looked lost, and has for a while.

“I’m out thinking about every single step of my delivery at times,” he said on Monday night. “Not every pitch, but there are pitches where I’m thinking of every single step I go through in my entire delivery. So, I mean, I’m just kind of scrambled out there right now.”

Pinto, 30, signed as an amateur free agent with the Phillies in 2011. He posted a 3.76 ERA in 210 minor league games, and in 2015 he was given the Paul Owens Award, which goes to the best pitcher in the Phillies’ minor league system. He was traded to the White Sox in 2018 for international signing bonus pool money.

» READ MORE: Hayes: Bryce Harper gets as angry as Phillies fans after big losses. He’s the anti-Giannis.

He spent 2020 playing in Korea in the KBO League, 2022 playing in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, and 2023 in the Mexican League. He also played winter ball in Venezuela.

Pinto returned to the Phillies this spring after signing a minor-league contract in February. He allowed two earned runs in 5⅔ innings in spring training, with three walks and three strikeouts. Pinto has an 8.44 ERA over 27 games (25 games in 2017 with the Phillies and two in 2019 with Tampa Bay). He had 25 strikeouts and 19 walks over that span.

Taijuan Walker (right shoulder soreness) threw a live bullpen session on Tuesday in the cages. Thomson said pitching coach Caleb Cotham reported that Walker looked “really good.” He threw 33 pitches in two innings. …. Thomson said that if any of the Phillies’ upcoming games are rained out, they will push their starting pitchers back.