How Will the Phillies Survive José Alvarado’s 80-Game PED Ban? Inside Dombrowski’s Bold Plans to Salvage the Season
Signed by the Tampa Bay Rays out of Venezuela in 2012, the bearded flamethrower was traded to Philadelphia in December 2020. Alvarado had always thrown hard, but upon joining the Phillies, he honed his control and improved his breaking stuff. His best season came in 2023, when he posted a 1.74 ERA with 64 strikeouts in 41 innings.
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Sunday’s news is a devastating blow to a Phillies bullpen that, even with Alvarado, had been the club’s weakest unit. Entering play Sunday, Philly relievers had combined for a 4.66 ERA, the seventh-worst mark in MLB. But Alvarado had been the bullpen’s most dependable piece. In 20 innings, the soon-to-be 30-year-old posted a 2.75 ERA with a strikeout rate just under 30%. His 99.6 mph average fastball velocity ranked fifth in all of baseball.
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