How Will the Phillies Survive José Alvarado’s 80-Game PED Ban? Inside Dombrowski’s Bold Plans to Salvage the Season
Without Alvarado, Phillies skipper Rob Thomson will lean even more on lefty Matt Strahm, who has also been excellent this season. Right-handers Orion Kerkering and Jordan Romano got off to horrid starts but have looked better as of late. Even so, without Alvarado, the Phillies are undeniably undermanned.
Over the winter, the Phillies lost two impact relief arms via free agency: Jeff Hoffman to Toronto and Carlos Estévez to Kansas City. Romano, a former closer with a strong track record coming off an injury, was the only addition to the mix. The Phillies were hoping somebody from their gaggle of middle relievers — Carlos Hernández, Tanner Banks or José Ruiz — would take a step forward. So far, that hasn’t really happened, though Banks, as the only left-hander besides Strahm, will get more high-leverage chances in Alvarado’s absence.
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