PHILADELPHIA -- Mick Abel will rejoin the Phillies' starting rotation on Thursday against the Blue Jays in Toronto.
While that was the biggest takeaway from a busy Sunday morning at Citizens Bank Park, it was far from the only announcement made by a Phillies team that will proceed with a reshuffled rotation and a new-look bullpen.
Abel will slide into the rotation in place of Taijuan Walker, who had been filling in for an injured Aaron Nola. Walker, meanwhile, will move back to the bullpen on a permanent basis. Elsewhere in the 'pen, the Phils designated right-hander José Ruiz for assignment and recalled fellow righty Seth Johnson to take his place.
The Phillies certainly want to see what Abel -- the club’s No. 8 prospect -- can do with another chance following his impressive MLB debut on May 18, but these moves were made largely with the bullpen in mind.
Philadelphia's bullpen entered Sunday with a 4.68 ERA this season, which ranked 25th in the Majors -- and that's including José Alvarado's contributions prior to his 80-game suspension. Alvarado was the team's most consistent reliever to start the season, posting a 2.70 ERA over 20 innings. Without him, that bullpen ERA jumps to 4.91.
Even including Alvarado, the only teams with a worse bullpen ERA are the Orioles, D-backs, Nationals, A's and Angels -- all of whom have a losing record.
The Phillies believe Walker can help.
"I have a lot of confidence in all those guys," manager Rob Thomson said. "But I think Tai has a chance to make us a lot better coming out of the 'pen."
Though he's never pitched in a leverage role before, the Phils intend to use the veteran righty in a traditional bullpen role instead of a long-relief role.
"I want to see him in a one-inning stint," Thomson said. "And see what he can do."
Even in his two relief appearances this season, each of which was three innings, Walker's stuff played up a bit. The thought is that it could tick up even more if he's pitching just one inning.
It should also help that Walker will now have a set role moving forward, as Thomson said he will no longer be shuffled back and forth between the rotation and bullpen.
"He's a pro. He really is," Thomson said. "I'm sure he's not 100% happy; I think he still thinks of himself as a starter, but he's a pro. And I think he's a guy who will do anything to help the team."
Though Walker has said he still views himself as a starter, he also believes having a set role -- regardless of what it is -- will help him settle into a better routine. Plus, he's feeling good about his revamped slider, which he tweaked the grip on a few weeks ago.
“My goal is to help any way I can,” Walker said. “I’m pretty confident in my stuff. With this new slider, I feel pretty confident in it. If I have one inning to blow it out, whatever it is, I feel like my stuff would play up just a little bit more. Knowing that I got one inning, just let it eat.”
The Phillies are hoping to see a similar trajectory from Johnson, the club's No. 12 prospect, who recently converted from the rotation to the bullpen with Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Johnson has seen mixed results since transitioning to the 'pen. He had a 5.52 ERA in 12 relief appearances, but also struck out 20 batters over 14 2/3 innings while touching 99 mph with his fastball.
"Johnson has been throwing the ball fairly well," Thomson said. "The velocity has really spiked up since he's gone to the 'pen."
The key will be harnessing his command, as he has 21 walks in 33 innings this year, including 10 in those 14 2/3 innings of relief.
"I obviously want to help the team win a championship any way I can," Johnson said Sunday morning at CBP. "So, it's whatever role I'm in, I'm in."
The Phillies will need to make another move Thursday to clear a spot for Abel. That could potentially be sending Johnson back to Lehigh Valley, or they could opt to get an extended look at him and send down Max Lazar.
The outlook for Abel remains a bit more unclear.
Nola continues to rehab his sprained right ankle, throwing a bullpen session prior to Sunday's game. The next step would be throwing live batting practice later this week before going out on a Minor League rehab assignment.
That means Abel could get a longer look than just one start this time around.
"It all depends on Nola," Thomson said. "And how well Mick does."