Gregory Soto will get more late-inning opportunities in light of José Alvarado’s struggles

MINNEAPOLIS — Trailing by one run in the sixth inning Monday night, with Ranger Suárez limited to 80 pitches in his first start in 10 days, the Phillies turned to the bullpen.

In those situations, Gregory Soto is often the choice.

But manager Rob Thomson is experimenting with something different. He’s moving Soto into a late-inning role with which he was accustomed as a former All-Star closer with the Detroit Tigers and sliding struggling José Alvarado into earlier innings. At least for now.

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“[Soto] has been throwing the ball really well,” Thomson said Tuesday before the Phillies continued a series against the Minnesota Twins. “And it coincides with trying to get Alvarado a little bit lower leverage for a few times out. But Soto’s been really good — on left- and right-[handed] hitters.”

The Phillies are exploring the trade market for a reliever before the July 30 deadline. Jeff Hoffman and Alvarado have been Thomson’s top choices in the eighth and ninth innings. But Alvarado has allowed seven runs in 5⅓ innings over his last six appearances, including a ninth-inning meltdown last Friday night in Pittsburgh.

Soto, meanwhile, has given up one run in his last 14⅓ innings. So, before the Phillies make an offer for another team’s closer — the Los Angeles Angels’ Carlos Estévez or the Washington Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan, for instance — Soto will get an opportunity in the late innings.

The Phillies acquired Soto before last season in a trade with the Tigers. Thomson doesn’t typically designate a closer, and Soto struggled at times last season en route to a 4.62 ERA in 69 appearances.

Soto had a 3.31 ERA in 39 innings entering Tuesday night but had been used primarily in the seventh and eighth innings. He got three save opportunities, converting two.

But Soto has been lethal against lefties. They were 8-for-48 (.167) with two extra-base hits and a .250 slugging percentage against him. But his success over the past month stems from his ability to get right-handed hitters out more consistently.

“I think the better slider that he’s got right now, it can really bore in on right-handed hitters,” Thomson said. “And he’s throwing strikes to right-handed hitters. That combination gives him a better chance at getting those guys out, and he has gotten them out.”

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Instead of Soto, Thomson called on Orion Kerkering in the sixth inning Monday night. Kerkering also got knocked around last Friday night in Pittsburgh. And after not allowing a walk in a month, he walked one batter and hit another against the Twins before getting out of a jam.

Kerkering could figure into the eighth- and ninth-inning mix, too, down the stretch. But in his first full major-league season, the Phillies are keeping an eye on his workload to keep him fresh for the postseason.

“I think the command is just a little bit off,” Thomson said. “He’s had kind of a heavy workload. We had the All-Star break, but we’ve ridden him pretty hard at certain times during the season.”

The Phillies signed 16 of their 20 draft picks, including outfielder Dante Nori, the 27th overall selection in the first round.

Nori, 19, batted .477/.575/.748 with a 1.323 OPS in 39 games to lead Northville High School to its first Michigan state championship this season. Nori signed for $2.5 million, according to multiple sources. The recommended slot value for the 27th overall pick was $3,228,300.

Right-handers Luke Gabrysh and Eli Trop also signed with the Phillies also signed with the Phillies after getting drafted in the 15th and 16th rounds out of St. Joseph’s and Penn, respectively.

» READ MORE: First-round pick Dante Nori has known Kyle Schwarber since he was 7 years old. Now, they’re teammates.

Other draft picks who reached agreements with the Phillies: third baseman Carson DeMartini (fourth round); catcher Kodey Shojinaga (sixth round); outfielder Joel Dragoo (seventh round); second baseman Brady Day (10th round); lefthanders Camron Hill (eighth round), A.J. Wilson (12th round), Kevin Warunek (18th round), and Erik Ritchie (19th round); and right-handers Marcus Morgan (ninth round), Titan Hayes (11th round), Tegan Cain (13th round), Ryan Degges (17th round), and Kyler Carmack (20th round).

Leftfielder Brandon Marsh returned to the lineup, as expected, after not starting Monday because of a sore right elbow. Marsh pinch hit Monday night and grounded out in the eighth inning. … The Phillies moved up two of their youngest prospects — 18-year-old shortstop Starlyn Caba and 17-year-old catcher Eduardo Tait — to low-A Clearwater. Caba batted .254 with 37 stolen bases and a .762 OPS in rookie ball; Tait batted .321 with six homers and an .877 OPS. … Aaron Nola (11-4, 3.54 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday against Twins righty Chris Paddack (5-3, 4.99).