Prior to Tuesday's game against the Seattle Mariners, the Phillies returned left-handed pitcher José Alvarado from his rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and reinstated him from the restricted list. To make room for Alvarado on the 26-man roster, right-handed pitcher Nolan Hoffman was optioned to Lehigh Valley and to make room on the 40-man roster, left-handed pitcher Josh Walker has been designated for assignment.
Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski made the announcement.
Alvarado, 30, made 20 relief appearances before being placed on the restricted list by Major League Baseball on May 18. In those 20 games, Alvarado went 4-1, converted all seven of his save opportunities and posted a 2.70 ERA (6 ER, 20.0 IP) with 25 strikeouts to four walks. He made five rehab appearances with Lehigh Valley, all of which were scoreless, and allowed four hits, struck out four batters and issued four walks across 5.0 innings.
Originally signed by the Tampa Bay Rays as an amateur free agent on March 13, 2012, Alvarado was acquired by the Phillies in a three-team trade with the Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers on Dec. 29, 2020.
The 28-year-old Hoffman made his major league debut in last night’s game and allowed three runs in 1.0 inning of work while notching two strikeouts and issuing one walk. He began the season pitching for triple-A Round Rock in the Texas Rangers organization and was acquired by the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations on June 17. He has made 17 relief appearances with the IronPigs this year, going 3-0 with a 3.32 ERA (7 ER, 19.0 IP), three saves, 27 strikeouts and 11 walks.
Walker, 30, made 23 relief appearances for Lehigh Valley and went 2-1 with a 4.50 ERA (13 ER, 26.0 IP) with 22 strikeouts to 12 walks. Originally selected by the New York Mets in the 37th round of the 2017 MLB Draft, Walker was acquired by the Phillies from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for cash considerations on May 29.