Phillies’ Max Lazar ‘trying to stay the course’ ahead of potential MLB debut

PHOENIX — Max Lazar was sitting at home on Friday, on the phone with his girlfriend, when he got another call from Lehigh Valley IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras.

Lazar, a right-handed relief pitcher, had a free evening after their game was washed out. The team had a doubleheader scheduled that day, but Tropical Storm Debby had other plans and brought enough rain to Lehigh Valley to postpone the second game. Lazar told his girlfriend he’d call her back.

“[Contreras] told me to come to the clubhouse, so I kind of had the drive over there to slow my heartbeat a little bit,” Lazar said.

Once he got there, Contreras gave him the news that he had been called up by the Phillies. Lazar, who was drafted by the Brewers out of high school in 2017, is positioned to make his major league debut.

» READ MORE: Phillies place Austin Hays on 10-day injured list; Kolby Allard optioned to Lehigh Valley

In a corresponding move, Kolby Allard was optioned to triple A a day after pitching five innings in the series-opening win against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he wanted to keep Allard stretched out as Taijuan Walker (right index finger inflammation) approaches a return from the injured list.

Lazar started the season in double A with the Reading Fightin Phils but quickly was promoted after allowing no runs and just three hits across his first eight relief appearances. With Lehigh Valley, he posted a 2.40 ERA with 35 strikeouts across 30 innings and recorded 10 saves in 12 opportunities.

“The Phillies gave me a lot of opportunities in spring, and I just kind of carried that into the season,” Lazar said. “I never thought, ‘I need to do this and that to go up.’ I just was doing my thing. We had a great staff in Reading. I got to Lehigh, and all the guys, they were great. And [I’m] just trying to stay the course, and whatever happens, happens.”

Last year, in the Brewers’ minor league system, Lazar had a 3.26 ERA. The Phillies signed him as a free agent in December 2023, and he credits his improvement this season to natural career growth.

“I signed out of high school, and I don’t think I was really ready for pro ball right away, just physically and mentally,” Lazar said. “With COVID, I missed all season [in 2020], and then I dealt with some injuries. I just think I’ve matured through that, both mentally and physically, and my game sharpened through that.”

Lazar initially was a starter in the Brewers’ system but transitioned to the bullpen after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021.

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Thomson said he’s been impressed with Lazar’s strike-throwing ability and hopes to get him a low-leverage inning for his debut.

“He can get left-handers out. Can get right-handers out,” Thomson said. “He’s got good stuff. 94-95 [mph fastball]; secondary pitches are good. He throws them for strikes.”

Lazar said it hasn’t hit him yet, but he’s still trying to take the moment in. It helps that he has some familiar faces with him. His family and girlfriend met him in Arizona on Friday, and he also had a teammate to keep him company on the plane ride over — outfielder Cal Stevenson was called up on the same day to fill in for an injured Austin Hays. Stevenson made his debut with Oakland in 2022, so it’s a familiar experience for him.

When he met Lazar after he arrived at Chase Field on Friday afternoon, Thomson told him the same thing he tells every player before they make their debut.

“Everybody in the world that’s played in this game, in the first game, is nervous,” Thomson said. “And so that’ll go away.”