Phillies close to signing Drew Smyly; move Nick Pivetta to bullpen

PITTSBURGH -- The Phillies’ search for consistency from their starting rotation will cause them to take a look on Sunday afternoon at Drew Smyly, the veteran left-hander whose contract hinged Friday evening on a completed physical.

And it has already caused them to bump the inconsistent Nick Pivetta to the bullpen.

Gabe Kapler said Smyly will start Sunday’s series finale at PNC Park as long as the team’s review of his medical information is positive. Pivetta, who has a 6.75 ERA in his last six starts and was demoted earlier this season to triple A, said he was surprised to learn he was being removed from the rotation.

“They had their explanation and I’m in the bullpen. That’s all I have to say,” Pivetta said. “It’s their decision. I’m here to support the 25 guys in this room and do the best I can to win baseball games for this team, for the players in this room.”

The four starters in the rotation not named Aaron Nola -- Pivetta, Jake Arrieta, Vince Velasquez, and Zach Eflin -- have a 5.39 ERA since June 1 and just nine starts in the last month that have reached the sixth inning. That is what led them this week to check in on the 30-year-old Smyly, who struggled this season with Texas as he returned to the majors for the first time since 2016. He broke in with Detroit in 2012 and went to Tampa Bay in 2014.

His start Sunday will push Velasquez to Wednesday as the Phillies decided to keep Velasquez in the rotation instead of Pivetta.

“We have a pretty good sample of both Nick and Vince in the starting rotation and we had a little look at what Vince looks like out of the bullpen,” manager Gabe Kapler said. “What we don’t have is a real look at how Nick looks in the bullpen. We are hurting for right-handed leverage arms right now in the pen and I’m not saying we’re prioritizing what’s happening in the bullpen, but all things considered, we’re looking at it from every angle, and it looked like the right decision for the Phillies and both pitchers individually.”

Smyly had Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2017 and joined the Rangers last offseason in a trade with the Cubs, who signed him before last season but never saw him pitch. He went 1-5 with an 8.42 ERA with Texas in 13 games and just two of his nine starts went past the fourth inning before he was released in June. Smyly latched on with the Brewers on a minor-league deal, made three starts with their triple-A affiliate (1-0, 4.97) and opted out of his contract on Thursday to join the Phillies.

“I’ve always wanted to be a starter. That’s who I am,” Pivetta said. “But there are 25 men in this room and I’m playing for them, not for myself. I’m playing for these guys in this room because we want to hold the World Series trophy at the end of the year and I’m focused on helping these men compete and win baseball games.”