Phillies call up Jorge Alfaro and Ricardo Pinto from Lehigh Valley

DENVER — Kevin Camiscioli, the Phillies' director of video coaching services, sent Andrew Knapp a slow-motion clip early Friday morning. It showed Knapp, in great detail, what happened to his hand Thursday night. An Albert Pujols foul ball hit the hand so hard that it snapped backward. It looked bad.

"The sound was what scared me the most," Knapp said.

But the Phillies do not believe Knapp has a broken hand. They examined him with a fluoroscopic image and two X-rays. A Rockies doctor — Thomas Noonan — concurred with the diagnosis: Knapp has a bruised hand.

It still hurt Friday, not enough to require time on the disabled list, but enough for the Phillies to summon a third catcher from triple-A Lehigh Valley. Jorge Alfaro was told around 2 a.m. when the IronPigs arrived in Buffalo that he had a 6 a.m. flight to Denver, through Charlotte. He took a shower and went straight to the airport.

"It feels good to be back," Alfaro, 24, said. "I don't know how long it's going to be, but I'll just enjoy my time here."

The Phillies had planned all along to keep Alfaro at triple A for the entire season, no matter what he did there. This is the last year he can be optioned to the minors without passing through waivers. He is an unfinished product. He needs development time before he arrives in 2018 for a permanent stay in the majors.

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Alfaro struck out 113 times and walked 16 times in 350 plate appearances at triple A. He enjoyed a strong first month. But since May 1, he has hit .214 with a .580 OPS. And that is without mentioning his defense, which remains a work in progress.

The Colombian catcher is aware of the lingering issues.

"You never stop learning," Alfaro said. "I'm trying to take the most information I can take this year. I know it hasn't been that good. But it's not that bad. You learn a lot when you fail. I think this year is going to help me a lot next year."

Alfaro's stunted progress, by all accounts, is not for a lack of work. His raw talent is not disputed. But it is clear his development will carry into next season, when he must be in the majors. This season has caused him to self-evaluate.

"It's helped me a lot," Alfaro said. "It's helped me try to be the player that I really want to be. The best player that I can be. This is a year to learn a lot. It's been a lot of ups and downs."

Infielder Ty Kelly was optioned to Lehigh Valley to clear a roster spot for Alfaro. … The Phillies recalled righthander Ricardo Pinto as an extra bullpen arm for this weekend's series at the hitting haven known as Coors Field. Pinto replaced Jake Thompson, who was optioned to triple A after Thursday's game, on the active roster. The Phillies have not yet decided who will step into Thompson's rotation spot. They could skip his next scheduled start, Wednesday in Atlanta. … Nick Pivetta will face Rockies righty Jon Gray on Saturday.