Phillies continue their bullpen shuffle, recall Chase Shugart; Griff McGarry traded to Dodgers

The Phillies’ bullpen shuffling continued on Tuesday, with the team optioning righty Seth Johnson and recalling righty Chase Shugart from triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Johnson threw 50 pitches in Monday’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs, and will likely be unavailable for a few days. He was knocked around for three earned runs on four hits in 1⅔ innings.

Recalling Shugart — whom the Phillies acquired in a trade with the Pirates in January in exchange for minor league infielder Francisco Loreto — gives the bullpen a fresh arm.

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Phillies manager Rob Thomson got a look at Shugart, 29, in spring training, when he had a 3.72 ERA over 9⅔ innings.

“He started off really good, and then I think he got a little bit of dead arm,” Thomson said. “Velocity went down. It’s back up now. And he’s throwing strikes. The slider is really good. He’s tough on right-handers. He’s tough, physically tough, mentally tough. I don’t think any situation is going to scare him a lot.”

He has a 1.80 ERA in five innings in triple A.

Shugart joins a unit that has had some success overall this season, with the Phillies bullpen collectively holding opposing hitters to a 1.15 WHIP. Closer Jhoan Duran has converted all five of his save opportunities to tie for the major league lead.

Left-hander José Alvarado has had some tough outings, allowing seven earned runs in five innings. On Sunday against the Diamondbacks, with Alvarado pitching for the second day in a row, he took the loss after Arizona scored two runs on two hits.

Thomson maintains confidence in Alvarado, but it’s possible Tanner Banks or Tim Mayza could see more higher-leverage spots, as well.

“I like all three of the lefties, really,” Thomson said. “I mean, Banks and Mayza are really throwing the ball well. I think if you take any pitcher, any reliever, over the course of the year, they’re going to have some dry spells. But that doesn’t mean that I’ve lost confidence in José, so we’ll see on any given night.”

The Phillies traded right-hander Griff McGarry to the Dodgers on Tuesday in exchange for international bonus pool space, as well as a player to be named later or cash considerations.

McGarry, 26, had been ranked as high as the Phillies’ No. 3 prospect in 2023 by MLB Pipeline, but he never was able to find his command consistently. The Phillies opted not to protect McGarry ahead of this year’s Rule 5 draft and he was selected by the Washington Nationals, although he was returned after he did not make their team out of camp.

McGarry was a starter in 2025, but he moved back to a relief role to start the season with the IronPigs. Across four innings, he allowed four earned runs for an ERA of 9.00. He continued to struggle with command, walking seven.

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The Phillies are shuffling their rotation for the weekend series against the Braves. After Thursday’s off day, Taijuan Walker will start the opener, followed by Cristopher Sánchez on regular rest, then Andrew Painter. Thomson said the idea is to split up the two right-handers in Walker and Painter.

Sixers coach Nick Nurse took a break from preparations for Wednesday’s play-in game against the Orlando Magic to visit Phillies batting practice ahead of Tuesday’s game against the Cubs. He chatted with Thomson, who wore a Sixers hat. ... Alec Bohm had a planned day off Tuesday, with Edmundo Sosa starting at third base. The Cubs used Riley Martin as a left-handed opener, and Thomson wanted Sosa to get more at-bats as the Phillies have faced a string of right-handed starters. ... Zack Wheeler (thoracic outlet decompression surgery) was scheduled to pitch for double-A Reading on Tuesday. He will make at least one more rehab start after that, next on Sunday in double A. ... Jesús Luzardo (1-2, 6.23 ERA) is scheduled to start Wednesday’s series finale against Cubs lefty Shota Imanaga (0-1, 2.81).

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