Phillies reliever Jonathan Bowlan goes on injured list with groin strain; Adolis García will bat cleanup
The Phillies acquired Bowlan, 29, from Royals in the offseason in a trade for Matt Strahm. The club called up right-hander Seth Johnson from Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies placed reliever Jonathan Bowlan on the 15-day injured list Monday with a right groin strain.
Bowlan pitched two-thirds of an inning in Sunday’s 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks. He allowed one inherited runner to score but rebounded with two strikeouts to strand a pair. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said Bowlan felt the strain after the outing, and it got worse after trying to stretch it out.
It’s a mild strain, and the Phillies expect Bowlan to be ready to return when the 15 days are up.
“So just take precautions,” Thomson said. “He’s been throwing the ball really well. We’ll get him back soon.”
» READ MORE: Bryce Harper’s ‘aggressive’ baserunning proves costly in loss to Diamondbacks
Bowlan, 29, had a 3.86 ERA in seven innings out of the bullpen this season after being acquired from the Royals this offseason in exchange for Matt Strahm. His fastball, which averages 97.4 mph, has a 37.5% whiff rate.
Bowlan was acquired as a righty specialist but has been working on his changeup since the spring as a way to improve against left-handed hitters.
With Bowlan temporarily on the shelf, the Phillies will get a look at another hard-throwing righty in Seth Johnson, who was recalled from triple-A Lehigh Valley to fill his spot. Johnson, 27, has pitched in six games in triple A this year and has posted a 3.00 ERA and two saves.
He has 15 innings of major league experience between 2024 and 2025. Johnson has always had elite velocity — his fastball has averaged 98.3 mph in triple A this season — but Thomson believes he’s taken a step forward with his command.
“He’s throwing strikes,” Thomson said. “He’s powering the ball through the zone, which is what we wanted him to do, because the stuff’s always been there. I think the secondary pitches have gotten a little bit better. The velocity has always been there. He’s just been a little bit scattered. So he’s kind of reeled in his command a little bit, and control.”
Cleanup García
Thomson said he considered several options for the cleanup spot for Monday’s series opener against the Cubs including J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm, but settled on moving Adolis García to the No. 4 spot against Chicago righty Javier Assad.
“Just trying to find the right mix here, so kind of trial and error right now,” Thomson said.
Thomson said he didn’t consider mixing up the top three — Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber, and Bryce Harper — since he wants each to be guaranteed an at-bat in the first inning.
Brandon Marsh had a crack at the cleanup spot against the Diamondbacks, because Arizona’s all-righty bullpen allowed Thomson to stack his lefties without worrying about being on the wrong end of late-game matchups. But he will have no such flexibility against the Cubs, so Marsh slid to No. 5, sandwiched between righties García and Bohm, who is now hitting No. 6 in the order.
» READ MORE: Adolis García is ‘a strong candidate’ to get a look in the Phillies’ search for a cleanup hitter
The idea is to take some pressure off Bohm, who has a .148 batting average and .456 OPS this season.
“Just to kind of let him breathe,” Thomson said. “I like where his swing’s at, he’s just another guy that’s lost his contact point. So he’s just swinging over the top or swing[ing] through a lot of pitches. He’ll get it going.”
García is mired in a slump of his own, with one hit and eight strikeouts in his last five games. He is striking out at a 27.9% clip.
“Earlier in the year, I thought he was controlling the zone,” Thomson said. “I think he’s trying to do a little bit too much, just like a lot of the other guys. He’s expanding a little bit.”
Extra bases
Right-handed pitcher Yoniel Curet, whom the Phillies designated for assignment on Wednesday, was claimed off waivers by the Detroit Tigers. … Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet decompression surgery) is scheduled to pitch five to six innings and/or 80-85 pitches for double-A Reading in Somerset, N.J., on Tuesday as he continues his rehab assignment, since the IronPigs are in St. Paul, Minn. … Aaron Nola (1-1, 3.63 ERA) is scheduled to start Tuesday against Cubs right-hander Colin Rea (1-0, 3.18).
Gage Wood might have pitched the best game in college baseball history 10 months ago. Now, with Andrew Painter in the majors, Wood is the Phillies’ top pitching prospect. The 22-year-old righty joins Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss his strong start to the season. Watch here.
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