Phillies reinstate José Alvarado from injured list; Weston Wilson and Luis Ortiz sent down

The Phillies’ bullpen has been taxed of late, but on Monday, it got some good news. Reliever José Alvarado, who was on a rehab assignment because of left elbow inflammation, was activated off the 15-day injured list. To open up a spot on the 26-man roster, right-hander Luis Ortiz was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Alvarado was one of the Phillies’ best relievers when he hit the injured list in early July. He’ll give manager Rob Thomson another option to use in high-leverage spots later in games.

» READ MORE: Murphy: Nola’s free agent future, the Rojas/Marsh puzzle, a Mariota sticking point

”It’s huge,” Thomson said of Alvarado’s return. “It’s a high-end reliever. Left-handed, can get right-handers out, just lengthens our bullpen, especially late in the game.”

Alvarado has a 1.38 ERA in 26 innings this season with 39 strikeouts and four walks. The Phillies are now carrying eight relievers on their roster, alongside a five-man rotation. Starter Ranger Suárez was placed on the 15-day injured list on Saturday with a right hamstring strain.

Thomson said Ortiz being the one to go back to Lehigh Valley was purely a “numbers thing.”

“[Andrew] Bellatti has been throwing the ball well,” Thomson said. “And we used Luis two days in a row, against the Nationals.”

Alvarado’s reinstatement wasn’t the only roster move the Phillies made ahead of Monday’s game against the Giants. They added outfielder Brandon Marsh, who had been dealing with a knee bone bruise, as the additional player ahead of the Little League Classic on Sunday.

To keep Marsh on the 26-man roster, the Phillies optioned utilityman Weston Wilson to Lehigh Valley after Sunday’s game. Wilson had only played in four games with the Phillies after they called him up on Aug. 6. He made a strong first impression, hitting a home run in his first big league at-bat on Aug. 9, but managed one hit with three walks in five at-bats from there.

”It was really because of the fact that [Rodolfo] Castro gives you a little bit more infield depth,” Thomson said of the decision to move Wilson and not Castro to triple A. “And we project [Castro] as a better right-handed hitter against left-handed pitching.”

Outfielder Cristian Pache, who was placed on the injured list on July 14 (retroactive to July 11) with right elbow irritation, began feeling some hip tightness a few days ago. Thomson said it turned into knee soreness, so the Phillies have paused his rehab assignment at Lehigh Valley.

”It’s kind of minor, but we want to make sure we’re knocking it out,” Thomson said. “So we just pulled him back, get him working with our people and once he’s ready to go we’ll get him back to his rehab assignment.”

» READ MORE: Sizing up an Aaron Nola contract in free agency: The comps, the Phillies factors, and one familiar case

Thomson said Pache should be back at Lehigh Valley “soon” and expected Pache to return to the Phillies sometime this season.

Pache has hit .327/.365/.957 in 49 at-bats with the Phillies this season. He has provided some defensive stability, posting five defensive runs saved in 2023 and three outs above average. He was hitting .240/.345/.240 over six games with Lehigh Valley when his rehab assignment was paused by the Phillies.

Former Phillies manager and current Giants manager Gabe Kapler had some kind words for Thomson ahead of this week’s three-game series between Philadelphia and San Francisco. Thomson was a bench coach under Kapler from 2018-2019.

Kapler referred to Thomson as a mentor and is not surprised by his success.

“As I’ve mentioned, I think that comes from his preparation, and obviously his competitive desire to win,” Kapler said. “But he’s just a good baseball guy. He’s been around a long time, and he’s seen it from a lot of different angles, and applies that to his management style in games.”

Taijuan Walker will make his first start since Aug. 12 on Tuesday against the Giants. In his last three outings, his velocity has dipped, but Thomson said it ticked up in his bullpen in Washington D.C. Walker will face lefty Kyle Harrison, the Giants’ top prospect who will be making his major league debut...Michael Lorenzen will face Giants right-hander Alex Cobb on Wednesday.