Phillies activate José Alvarado from injured list and option Connor Brogdon to triple A

Phillies reliever José Alvarado was activated off the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Alvarado missed about a month with left elbow inflammation.

To make room for him on the 26-man roster, right-handed reliever Connor Brogdon was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Alvarado was one of the best, if not the best, reliever in the game when he was placed on the injured list on May 10. He has a 0.63 ERA this season with no walks and 24 strikeouts in 14⅓ innings. Despite that, the bullpen pitched well in his absence. The Phillies posted the third-best bullpen ERA in baseball — 2.55 — from the day that Alvarado was placed on the injured list (May 10) to the day he was activated.

» READ MORE: Which Phillies are All-Stars? Sizing up the cases for six candidates.

Having him back in the bullpen will give manager Rob Thomson plenty of high-leverage options at his disposal.

“We’ve got a lot of guys now, a lot of leverage guys down there,” Thomson said. “So, we can mix and match as we see fit. And Alvy is good against everybody. So, that makes it a lot of fun.”

Craig Kimbrel has stepped up in the ninth inning in Alvarado’s absence. Thomson plans to go with a closer by committee, with Kimbrel and Alvarado as his primary options in the ninth, depending on which pocket of the lineup the Phillies are facing.

“There’s going to be days where Kimbrel needs off,” Thomson said. “We’ll see how he feels today after throwing 34 pitches last night. But ... there’s going to be certain lineups where it’s going to be left-handed heavy in certain areas where it may just have to be Alvarado.”

When asked if Kimbrel was his preference, Thomson said, “Not necessarily.”

“Especially if it’s a left-handed-heavy pocket,” he added. “We would probably set it up where Kimbrel would throw to the right-handed pocket if it’s the eighth inning and Alvarado would throw to the left-handed pocket in the ninth, and vice versa.”

Brogdon has encountered some adversity this season. He has a 4.03 ERA in 29 innings, but beyond that, he’s not getting left-handed batters out — which was a big part of what has made him effective for the Phillies over the past few years. Lefties have hit .333 against Brogdon this season, while right-handed batters have hit .215.

» READ MORE: The Phillies are surprised banning shifts hasn’t helped Kyle Schwarber. Is it just a matter of luck?

“Well, it was really kind of a reset for him,” Thomson said. “Brogdon is a big part of this club. He pitched in the World Series, pitched great. And I think by sending him out we’re going to get him reintroduced to some bulk — two innings, maybe two-plus. Get him on a structured schedule. Give him the right amount of rest. So he can really practice his trade in games. He hasn’t gotten left-handers out the way he normally does this year. So that’s an objective that we want to get done. But I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

Thomson said it’s possible Brogdon could come back to help the Phillies navigate their vacant fifth-starter spot.

Infielder Alec Bohm, who is recovering from a left hamstring strain, worked out on the field before Thursday’s game. He was expected to be activated off the injured list on Saturday, but Thomson said Bohm will need some more time.

“He still feels it a little bit, so he will not be activated [Saturday],” Thomson said Friday. “It’s going to be a few more days. Today is going to be a recovery day for him. Work him hard again [Saturday]. We’ll go from there.”

» READ MORE: Why Rhys Hoskins is rooting for another long Phillies playoff run