Phillies promote Cesár Ramos to bullpen coach; Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins officially become free agents
Nola, Hoskins, Craig Kimbrel, and Michael Lorenzen were among 130 players to become free agents on Friday. Meanwhile, Ramos joins the big-league staff after two seasons at triple-A Lehigh Valley.
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As Aaron Nola and Rhys Hoskins came off the roster and became free agents Friday, the Phillies filled a vacancy on their major league coaching staff.
Cesár Ramos was promoted to bullpen coach, the team announced, after two seasons as the pitching coach at triple-A Lehigh Valley. He will replace Dave Lundquist, who was let go last week.
Ramos, 39, joined the Phillies in 2020 as a player information assistant and took over as the organization’s rehab pitching coach a year later. He spent parts of eight seasons in the majors, posting a 4.02 ERA in 267 games for the Padres, Rays, Angels, and Rangers.
The Phillies still are searching for an assistant hitting coach after moving on from Jason Camilli last week.
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Nola, Hoskins, and right-handers Craig Kimbrel and Michael Lorenzen were among 130 players who became free agents Friday, according to the MLB Players’ Association.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said last week that re-signing Nola is the team’s top offseason priority. He wasn’t as definitive about Hoskins’ future. Nola and Hoskins were the team’s longest-tenured pitcher and position player, respectively.
It’s unlikely Kimbrel or Lorenzen will return. After a solid regular season, Kimbrel gave up a walk-off hit in Game 3 of the NLCS against Arizona and blew a two-run lead in the eighth inning of Game 4. Lorenzen, acquired at the trade deadline, is looking for an opportunity to start.