NEW YORK — The last pitch Jordan Romano threw on Monday night — and perhaps in his Phillies career — epitomized his torturous season. He fired 97 mph past Juan Soto for strike three, and it was the hardest pitch Romano had thrown in a month. But he had already surrendered four runs, had an 8.23 ERA to his name, and something had to give.
The Phillies could not trust Romano any longer, even in lesser situations.
But, as the Phillies rearranged their bullpen on Tuesday, they kept Romano in the organization. He was placed on the injured list with what the team described as right middle finger inflammation. The Phillies believe it could explain the wild fluctuations in Romano’s fastball velocity, but it’s not as though that is a recent issue. It has been happening for months.
This transaction could signal the beginning of the end of Romano’s time in Philadelphia. The club’s biggest offseason bullpen addition, Romano was supposed to be a steady late-inning presence. Instead, he has authored one of the worst seasons by a reliever in Phillies history.
The Phillies on Tuesday also released reliever Joe Ross, another offseason pickup. Ross, who signed for $4 million last winter, had a 5.12 ERA in 51 innings this season. Righties Lou Trivino and Daniel Robert replaced Romano and Ross in the bullpen.
Trivino, 33, grew up a Phillies fan in Montgomery County and had been in the organization for three weeks. He had big-league time with the Dodgers and Giants earlier this season, but getting the call to his childhood team meant something.
“It’s a surreal feeling,” he said.
Romano and Ross had been relegated to the lowest-leverage spots, so reshuffling this corner of the bullpen isn’t significant. At the very least, it’ll provide the Phillies more flexibility. They can cycle through one or two spots in the bullpen, if needed. They can add a 14th pitcher come Sept. 1.
Putting Romano on the injured list is a convenient way for a last-ditch effort to make him usable. The team knows José Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason, so there are bullpen spots to claim. But it’s hard to envision Romano regaining the trust needed to include him in the playoffs, even if it’s as a backup to the backup option.
Manager Rob Thomson said Romano’s inflamed finger is a legitimate injury that has bothered Romano in recent outings.
“They thought it worked out,” Thomson said. “It’s just inflammation in that right middle finger. So his finger goes numb. I’m sure it affects his grip. Who knows how long he had it and didn’t say anything. Because he wants to pitch.”
The Phillies made Romano, 32, their headliner offseason bullpen pickup on a one-year, $8.5 million deal, as Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez departed Philadelphia for multiyear contracts elsewhere. It was a risk that backfired.
Romano missed most of 2024 after undergoing arthroscopic elbow surgery to repair an impingement, pitching only 13 2/3 innings for the Toronto Blue Jays. The Phillies saw him throw in the offseason and deemed the two-time All-Star a decent bounce-back candidate, but Romano’s stuff has never returned.
The Phillies have seen glimpses of a high-90s fastball, but never at a consistent rate. Three of the four hardest pitches he threw all season came on April 19 — a disastrous outing that skewed Romano’s entire season. He allowed six runs on six hits to the Miami Marlins that day. It set a troubling tone for the affable Canadian’s season.
Romano would enter some games throwing 97 or 98 mph, then others at 93 mph. It became a problem. The Phillies could not trust Romano without knowing what version they’d see.
He had entered a game in which the Phillies were tied or leading only once since July 19. That appearance came with a six-run lead. He allowed two runs and recorded one out that day, Aug. 18, and the Phillies still kept him around. He had not thrown a pitch in the ninth inning since July 8, when he surrendered a walk-off, inside-the-park home run to San Francisco Giants catcher Patrick Bailey.
Romano’s 8.23 ERA over 49 games is the worst in Phillies history for a pitcher with 30-plus appearances in a season. It’s the worst for a Phillies pitcher with at least 40 innings since Reggie Grabowski’s 9.23 ERA in 1934, when the Phillies still called the bandbox Baker Bowl their home park. No MLB pitcher has appeared in as many games as Romano with a higher ERA since Wade Davis’ 8.65 ERA in 50 games with the 2019 Colorado Rockies.
The only modern Phillies equivalent to Romano’s season was Brad Lidge’s 2009; he lugged a 7.21 ERA over 67 appearances. Lidge, at least, had authored one of the best seasons ever for a Phillies closer the year before.
Romano does not have that track record in Philadelphia. But he remained on the active roster into late August.
(Photo: Eric Hartline / Imagn Images)
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