Welcome relief: Seranthony Domínguez rejoins the Phillies’ bullpen

When Connor Brogdon heard that Seranthony Domínguez was set to go on a rehab assignment with triple-A Lehigh Valley, he made a mental note to check Domínguez’s outing. Domínguez did not disappoint. On Thursday, he pitched one inning, allowing no hits, no runs, and two walks with one strikeout. He hit 98-100 mph on the radar gun.

“I saw that and I was like, ‘He’s ready to go,’” Brogdon said.

Domínguez, who was battling right triceps tendinitis, was activated off the 15-day injured list on Sunday. Navigating the right-handed reliever’s absence wasn’t easy for the Phillies’ bullpen. Since the day he went on the injured list, the Phillies’ bullpen ERA rose from 4.05 to 4.93, which is the eighth worst in baseball. The Phillies blew five saves over that span, tied for fourth-highest total in baseball.

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What made matters worse was that around the time Domínguez got hurt, the Phillies’ starters stopped going deeper into games.

“Well, it’s been more really about not getting as much length out of our starters,” interim manager Rob Thomson said when asked to evaluate how the bullpen fared without Domínguez. “It’s tough to not have Seranthony, but if we were getting the same amount of length that we had been getting, I think it would have been a lot better. It really taxed our bullpen. But I think we’re getting settled down now, after [Saturday] night, not using [José] Alvarado, [Brad] Hand, [David] Robertson and getting Seranthony back today and an off day [Monday]. … I think we should be good to go for next week.”

Every reliever felt the ripple effects of Domínguez’s absence. Robertson was leaned on because of his experience in high-leverage situations, but so were pitchers like Brogdon who are not typically used in those spots.

“The writing was on the wall, so to speak — we know where his role is,” Brogdon said. “It’s either eighth or ninth, heart of the lineup. When we lost him, we kind of figured we’re going to have to mix and match a little bit to kind of pick up for him.

“I feel like since he’s gone on the IL I’ve kind of been all over the place. I think I’ve pitched anywhere from the fifth to the ninth [inning]. So I’m just trying to stay ready, keep runs off the board even though I’ve been struggling with that lately.”

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Thomson asked Domínguez after his rehab outing if he felt confident attacking hitters, and potentially being used in higher-leverage spots right away. Domínguez said he is, so the Phillies will use him as he has been used in the past. What will be different is how much Domínguez will be used. The Phillies will be careful with him. They are going to stay away from back-to-back outings at first, and will try to get him clean innings rather than throwing him in the midst of a high-leverage situation in the middle of an inning.

But regardless of how often he’s used, the Phillies will take anything they can get from the right-handed reliever, who has a 1.60 ERA in 47 appearances. He pitched a scoreless eighth inning Sunday in a 7-5 victory against Washington.

“It’s always tough when you lose a guy like that,” Brogdon said. “He’s been huge for us all year, so it’s definitely a welcome sight to get him back. He’s really nasty. We definitely need him.”

The team said outfielder Nick Castellanos (right oblique strain) took 30 swings on Sunday. The Phillies plan to “ramp it up” on Tuesday. Castellanos will travel with the team to Miami. … Right-handed starter Zach Eflin (right knee bruise) is still set to be activated off the 15-day injured list on Tuesday, Thomson said. Eflin will be used out of the bullpen. … Zack Wheeler (right forearm tendinitis) is going to throw a bullpen session on Tuesday in Miami.