Phillies acquire pitcher Vinny Nittoli from Blue Jays

The right-hander, who has primarily been a reliever, is expected to be added to the big-league roster on Thursday.

Vinny Nittoli has had success at triple-a this season, posting a 3.30 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 14 walks in 46⅓ innings.Read moreStephen Smith / AP

Published Aug. 31, 2022, 12:19 p.m. ET

PHOENIX — The Phillies acquired right-handed pitcher Vinny Nittoli from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor league catcher Karl Ellison, the team announced Wednesday.

Nittoli, 31, has experience out of the bullpen and as a starter. He has just one game’s worth of big-league experience — on June 23, 2021, with Seattle — but has had success in triple A in 2022 in the Blue Jays’ and Yankees’ systems, posting a 3.30 ERA with 59 strikeouts and 14 walks in 46⅓ innings.

With Seranthony Domínguez on the 15-day injured list, Corey Knebel out for the season, Zach Eflin likely to return as a bullpen piece, and Zack Wheeler on the 15-day injured list, the Phillies have been thin on pitching. Nittoli will provide some bullpen depth as the Phillies try to weather the absence of Domínguez and Knebel.

Nittoli had a 2.79 ERA in 10 games with the Blue Jays’ triple-A affiliate in Buffalo. Of the 37 batters he faced, he struck out 40.5% and walked only one. He has a 32.1% strikeout rate and a 7.6% walk rate in triple A this season. He was drafted in the 25th round by the Mariners in 2014 out of Xavier University.

Ellison was signed by the Phillies as a minor league free agent in March. He split this season between single-A Jersey Shore and triple-A Lehigh Valley, hitting .123/.235/.192 between those levels.

ESPN reported that the Phillies plan to add Nittoli to their big-league roster on Thursday, when rosters expand to 28 players. Because Nittoli was not on the Blue Jays’ big-league roster, he was able to be traded after the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Assuming the Phillies add Nittoli to their 28-man roster as expected, he will be eligible to pitch in the postseason.