BALTIMORE — The third tarp pull was the charm for the Phillies on Sunday afternoon.

After a pair of delays that saw the Orioles’ grounds crew put the tarp on the field three total times, the Phillies won 8-0 in six innings at Camden Yards, marking their first rain-shortened game since Oct. 2, 2022, in Washington. Right-hander Zack Wheeler pitched for Philadelphia in both of those games; he earned the win against the Nationals four seasons ago, but he lasted only two innings in Baltimore due to the first delay that lasted an hour and 49 minutes.

Wheeler looked much sharper than he did in his three-inning, five-run outing on Monday in Miami. He just wasn’t able to go deep due to the elements. “It is what it is,” Wheeler said. He threw about 40 pitches in the batting cage to get closer to a normal pitch count.

Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz gave the Phillies (59-53) an early 2-0 lead with a two-run opposite-field home run to right-center field in the top of the third inning, and the game was put into a delay before the bottom of the frame began. The crew tried to work on a muddied infield that had numerous puddles. After a handful of minutes, the delay was called. Wheeler threw the ball from his warmup pitches into the stands as he walked from the mound to the dugout.

“Not great,” first baseman Bryce Harper said of the conditions. “Obviously, it was raining pretty good, a couple puddles here and there. The mound wasn’t very good. Batter’s box was not very good either.”

The grounds crew dragged the tarp onto the field for the delay, took it off for a bit to work on the infield and placed it back over the dirt as the delay continued. When the game resumed, left-hander Kyle Backhus entered for the Phillies and worked around trouble to throw a scoreless third. Fellow lefty Tim Mayza followed with two scoreless innings.

The offense, meanwhile, added six runs before the weather picked back up. Bryson Stott walked with the bases loaded and Justin Crawford grounded home a run in the fourth, Harper hit a two-run homer in the fifth and the club scored three more in the top of the sixth as Crawford hit an RBI single and De La Cruz and Kyle Schwarber each had a sacrifice fly.

Right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering ran in from the bullpen for the bottom of the sixth, but the umpires signaled for the tarp once again before he threw a pitch. Following a X-minute delay, the game was finally called. With the truncated victory, the Phillies clinched their first series win since the All-Star break by taking two out of three versus the O’s. And they did it while battling the weather in their final game before Monday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline.

“Both teams lost their starter,” interim manager Don Mattingly said. “I know they’re trying to make the best decision, but that was a little frustrating.”

BALTIMORE — Phillies starter Zack Wheeler waited to emerge from the visiting dugout for the bottom of the third. The Orioles grounds crew was working quickly to make a totally drenched infield playable. Wheeler came back out, but walked back in with his teammates. A long rain delay in Baltimore ensued. When it was nearly over, Phillies reliever Kyle Backhus walked to the center field bullpen. He eventually took the mound for the Phillies in the third inning.

Thanks to the rain, Wheeler’s start day turned into a bullpen game. Another rain delayed eventually shortened the game entirely. The one hour, 49-minute delay knocked Wheeler out of the game after two innings. The veteran right-hander allowed one hit and struck out three. He exited the game with a 2-0 lead on a Bryan De La Cruz two-run home run, but did not pitch the required five innings to earn the win. He instead threw in the batting cages to get his total pitch count on the day to around 70.

After a shaky outing his last time out against the Miami Marlins, Wheeler looked much better in his two innings of work.

“I think they originally said (the rain) was supposed to come at three,” Wheeler said. “So I was trying to work quick and at least get five, but didn’t work out that way.”

The Phillies were not concerned about Wheeler after he gave up five runs over three innings with diminished stuff his last time out. He looked like himself.

“It’s part of going through a season,” Bryce Harper said. “Guys are gonna have starts like that sometimes. Obviously, we don’t see that out of him at all, so when he does have something like that, it’s a little tough. Obviously, we know what he’s going to be like. Thought today he threw the ball well.”

The Phillies ended up winning 8-0, with the game called after the top of the sixth. The Phillies pitching staff has not allowed a run since the seventh inning of Friday night’s 6-4 loss.

“Just starting it like that,” interim manager Don Mattingly said postgame. “I mean, both teams, honestly, both teams lost their starter. I know they’re trying to make the best decision, but that was a little frustrating.”

The Phillies and Orioles initially tried to play through a downpour in the top of the third. While on first base, Trea Turner slid on a pickoff attempt, drenching his uniform in mud. Puddles accumulated all around the infield dirt.

“Obviously, not great,” Harper said. “It was raining pretty good, a couple puddles here and there. The mound wasn’t very good. Batter’s box was not very good either.”

After the tarp was placed on the field at the start of the first delay, the umpiring crew spoke with Don Mattingly and a few members of the Phillies coaching staff.

The game eventually resumed just after 4:15. And a little over an hour after the resumption, another rain delay began. In between the end of the first delay and the second, the Phillies scored six runs against the Orioles bullpen. One of those runs came on Harper’s first home run against a left-handed pitcher since April 21. Justin Crawford drove in another on an RBI single and De La Cruz and Kyle Schwarber both drove in runs on a sacrifice fly.

The bullpen game went well. Backhus threw a scoreless inning and Tim Mayza followed up with two scoreless, earning the win by an official scorer’s decision. Orion Kerkering began warming up for the bottom of the sixth before the second delay was called.

This time, at least the game was an official one. Since the Phillies and Orioles do not have a common off day for the remainder of this season and the rain wasn’t stopping anytime soon, the game was called in the middle of the sixth inning.

With less than 24 hours to go before the trade deadline, the Phillies have finally picked up their first series win of the second half. They are eight games back of the first-place Atlanta Braves in the NL East, but tied with Arizona for the second wild card spot in the National League. The Diamondbacks hold the higher seed on the head-to-head tiebreaker.

“I thought, you know, it was a great series,” Harper said. “Obviously, it didn’t go as planned in Miami. They played well, they got us and happy to be going home with two out of three here.”

BALTIMORE — Trea Turner walked up to the plate for the second time in the eighth inning, and then walked right back to the dugout. There was a pause. Nearly every player on the field stood still, forgetting there were three outs. The Phillies this time around were on the right side of a long inning.

With a 1-0 lead, the Phillies sent nine men to the plate in the eighth and scored four runs on three walks and three base hits in a 5-0 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Saturday night at Camden Yards to snap a four-game losing streak. Bryan De La Cruz scored the winning run in the fifth inning on an RBI single. Cristopher Sánchez struck out 11 batters, but allowed a career-high five walks over six shutout innings. Jonathan Bowlan, José Alvarado and Jhoan Duran all pitched scoreless innings to preserve an MLB-best 13th shutout win of the season.

For a team that entered the game with a league-worst .303 on-base percentage, the eighth inning was a sign that the Phillies can still string together hits.

“It’s kind of a complete game for us where we caught the ball,” interim manager Don Mattingly said postgame. “(Sánchez) was good, got out of jams. It’s not ever going to be easy for you. Just kind of the whole game today felt like a clean game.” Maybe not the whole game, but it was mostly clean.

Sánchez’s 14 wins on the season are a new career high. He wasn’t thrilled with his command, but a win is a win.

“I didn’t like that many walks,” Sánchez said through a team interpreter. “But I did like going six solid innings and putting the team in a good position to win. That’s what I like most about it.”

Alec Bohm, who made a nice catch on a liner in the second, but was picked off first in the sixth, drove in the first Phillies run in the eighth with the infield drawn in. Bohm also led the way on a double steal with Brandon Marsh trailing him. Justin Crawford capped off the four-run rally with a pair of runs batted in on a single. He also made an excellent diving play in the fourth inning to prevent extra bases with Sánchez on the mound.

It was a good day for guys up-and-down the lineup. Bryce Harper recorded his first multi-hit game of the second half and Turner had an excellent diving play in the fifth and went 2-for-4 with a double. Bryson Stott in the seventh worked a 15-pitch at-bat with 10 foul balls that resulted in an infield hit.

Stott said after the game that he was tired and regretted his decision to wear long sleeves by the end of it. Per Sarah Langs, Stott’s at-bat is tied for the longest Phillies at-bat to end in a hit since 1988, when pitch-count tracking began. Kevin Jordan had a 15-pitch at-bat that ended in a double on Sept. 8, 1997.

In his last seven games, Stott is batting .304 with a 1.038 OPS. He has been one of the Phillies’ most consistent hitters since his brutal early-season slump.

“It’s kind of fun just being in there and then knowing that you’re driving the pitchers and the coaches crazy,” Stott said.

The Phillies (58-53) can win their first series of the second half with a win on Sunday afternoon. Zack Wheeler will take the mound for the finale against another formidable righty in Kyle Bradish.

The Phillies entered the 2026 season with a group that resembled the 2025 team quite closely. The organization, however, made the argument that it was not simply “running it back,” largely due to the addition of two top prospects, pitcher Andrew Painter and outfielder Justin Crawford, to the mix.

Those rookies have not quite provided the boost the team would have hoped, and two free-agent additions — right fielder Adolis García and reliever Brad Keller — are out for the remainder of the season. That’s left the Phillies with a few glaring holes on the roster, and they will likely use minor-league resources ahead of Monday’s trade deadline to help fill them.

In anticipation of this pivotal trade deadline for the club, Phillies Nation has put together its latest rankings of the top prospects in the Phillies organization.

As stated in previous versions of this prospect list, assessments of these prospects are based on the play the Phillies Nation staff has seen covering these players in person, analysis of film, conversations with scouts, coaches and other player-development personnel and information from outlets such as Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB Pipeline.

1. Gage Wood, RHP

The 26th overall pick of last summer’s draft, Wood skipped High-A Jersey Shore and jumped right to Double-A Reading, where he has a 4.32 ERA and 62 strikeouts with just 12 walks through 11 starts. The 23-year-old right-hander has taken on a managed workload for Reading, having not gone longer than five innings in an outing, but his strike rate is north of 66% and provides confidence for Wood’s future as a starter. His fastball touched 99 mph earlier this season, and he has the curveball, slider and changeup at his disposal as well. Wood has all but cemented himself as the Phillies’ most exciting pitching prospect in 2026. — Dan Sullivan, IronPigs beat writer

2. Aidan Miller, SS

Miller, a 2023 first-round pick, has the profile of a future impact right-handed bat and a young cornerstone in the infield if all goes right. Of course, he has not played a single minor-league game this season due to a back injury. In a perfect world, Miller is probably Philadelphia’s starting shortstop or third baseman next year, but it’s hard to know what to expect from him until he proves he can stay on the field for an extended period of time. Perhaps the team’s cautious handling of the 22-year-old this season helps keep him healthy in the future, or perhaps this issue continues to linger. — Ty Daubert

3. Francisco Renteria, OF

A 6-foot-3 outfielder, Renteria has dominated the Dominican Summer League with a .361/.443/.608 slash line and 18 stolen bases through 41 games. He has five-tool potential at just 17 years old with a strong arm, an ability to hit for power and above-average instincts on the basepaths. Renteria will continue to rise among the Phillies’ prospect list as he progresses through the farm system the next few years. — Dan Sullivan

4. Ramon Marquez, RHP

The 20-year-old Marquez is in the midst of a breakout season. After signing with the Phillies last year, he has a 1.83 ERA in 11 outings so far in 2026. He began the season at Low-A, and he’s continued to excel at High-A Jersey Shore. The right-handed starter has kept the ball in the ballpark while striking out 14.3 batters per nine and allowing just 0.815 walks plus hits per inning. — Ty Daubert

5. Tyler Spangler, SS

The Phillies took Spangler with the No. 36 pick in this year’s draft, and the immediate Corey Seager comps were obvious. Like Seager, Spangler is a big, tall shortstop who hits left-handed, and while the Rangers star has dealt with injuries, it would be a huge success for the Phillies if the 6-foot-3 Spangler can develop into that level of player. The 18-year-old missed his senior season of high school due to a back injury, but his agent, Scott Boras, told reporters that it was more of a strategic sidelining to address a minor issue than a major concern. Spangler said he feels healthy as he begins his professional career. — Ty Daubert

6. Aroon Escobar, INF

In his first full season at Double-A, Escobar is hitting .221/.325/.302 with six home runs and 46 RBI in 95 games. The 21-year-old has split reps at second and third base this season. Escobar is not the most polished defender and he chases out of the zone too much, but he should continue to improve and show off some additional pop with more time in Reading. — Dan Sullivan

7. Alirio Ferrebus, C

Ferrebus, 20, was incredibly productive in 72 games for Low-A Clearwater, hitting 11 home runs with an .895 OPS. That performance earned him a promotion to High-A Jersey Shore earlier this week. He’s an advanced right-handed hitter who’s also racked up 21 doubles and hit for both average and power in the minors this year while striking out only 12.7% of the time. Perhaps he’ll need to be moved to first base or another position some day, but his bat would be a tremendous tool behind the plate if he can handle it defensively. — Ty Daubert

8. Alex McFarlane, RHP

McFarlane recently made his big league debut, pitching a scoreless inning against the Dodgers on July 22. The 25-year-old right-handed reliever will now take on a new challenge at Triple-A Lehigh Valley after he posted a 2.06 ERA through 35 innings in Reading with 47 strikeouts. With a five-pitch arsenal including an improved sweeper that has fazed hitters all season long, expect to see McFarlane on the bump for the Phillies again later down the line, as long as he’s not traded. — Dan Sullivan

9. Bryan Rincon, SS

Rincon has revealed himself to be another bright spot within the Phillies’ system. After a hamstring injury prematurely ended his 2024 season and caused him to struggle in 2025, he has pieced together a breakout 2026 campaign in his first year at Double-A. A 22-year-old switch-hitter, Rincon is hitting .252/.384/.488 with 17 home runs. His true strengths lie in his defense, however, as his footwork and hands give him natural instincts at shortstop. — Dan Sullivan

10. Cade Obermueller, LHP

The Phillies’ second-round pick last summer out of Iowa, Obermueller had a 2.78 ERA through 11 starts at Low-A Clearwater in 2026. With 55 strikeouts and 18 walks, the left-hander has impressed in his first full year in the Phillies’ system, earning him a promotion to High-A Jersey Shore; his first start at the new level was rough as he allowed four runs (three earned) in three innings. Obermueller hasn’t gone longer than four innings in an outing, suggesting that he could be a reliever long-term, but he has the arsenal to pitch in whatever spot he’s needed. At 22 years old with his level of production, he has the potential to rise up the farm quickly. — Dan Sullivan

11. Dante Nori, OF

Nori, 21, was a first-round pick out of high school in 2024, and he played well on a big stage for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic this March. But his season at Double-A Reading this year after getting a promotion there at the end of 2025 has not gone as well. The left-handed hitter batted .245 in 52 games before landing on the injured list on June 9. He still projects to be a solid contact-first batter with speed that makes a difference on the bases and in center field. but his lack of power limits his ceiling. — Ty Daubert

12. Matthew Fisher, RHP

A seventh-round selection in 2025, Fisher has a 4.17 ERA through 11 starts between Low-A and the FCL Phillies. The 20-year-old right-hander has a fastball that reaches 95 mph, along with a high spin rate on his curveball and slider. Since he was drafted, he’s been on track to rise relatively fast through the Phillies’ system, and his production for Clearwater should help solidify that. — Dan Sullivan

13. Juan Parra, SS

Parra, another 17-year-old the Phillies signed this year, has also put up big numbers in the Dominican Summer League alongside Renteria. The switch-hitter is batting .308 with an impressive 41 walks in 42 games compared to 27 strikeouts. He has hit four home runs, seven doubles and two triples and stolen seven bases. Parra was hit in the head with a pitch on Friday, so his health will be important to monitor after that scary situation. — Ty Daubert

14. Moisés Chace, RHP

The Phillies acquired Chace along with Seth Johnson in exchange for left-hander Gregory Soto at the 2024 trade deadline, and the right-hander showcased an electric fastball for Jersey Shore and Reading down the stretch. Then he tore his UCL six starts into last season. Chace has not yet returned from Tommy John surgery, but he’s still an intriguing pitching prospect if the stuff ends up getting back to peak form. — Ty Daubert

15. Caden Bogenpohl, OF

Bogenpohl hit a combined 33 home runs with an OPS over 1.000 in his first two years of college at Missouri State. As a junior in 2026, he hit only six homers with an .841 OPS. The Phillies bet on his power potential when they took the 21-year-old in the second round of the draft this year. The 6-foot-5, left-handed-hitting outfielder already moved up to Low-A Clearwater this week. — Ty Daubert

BALTIMORE — In his first start back from Triple-A, Andrew Painter recovered from a tough first inning to give the Phillies six solid innings. He left the game in line for his second MLB win, and first in exactly four months, but the Baltimore Orioles tied it the seventh and took the lead later in the frame on a two-run triple from Gunnar Henderson in a 6-4 loss on Friday night at Camden Yards.

It’s the Phillies’ fourth straight loss and 10th loss in the month of July in a game in which they had the lead. It was not a great month for a bullpen that will almost certainly undergo some changes over the next few days.

“Well, it hasn’t been good lately,” interim manager Don Mattingly said about his bullpen. “It’s really been pretty good up until this point. This too shall pass.”

Philadelphia has lost seven of their last eight games and are 57-53 overall. They are holding on to a wild card spot for dear life.

“We have confidence in ourselves, in this group,” catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “There’s a lot of experience here, a lot of good players. But at the same time, we know we have to do it. We can’t just talk about it. We have to play better, we gotta execute better. I think we just need to change our mentality late in the game, get some confidence and run with it.”

Reliever Orion Kerkering was charged with a career-high four earned runs in the seventh. The big hit against him was a two-run pinch hit double from the right-handed hitting Christian Encarnacion-Strand. It was the first hit Kerkering has allowed against a right-handed hitter since June 7. He has been arguably the team’s most consistent setup reliever in front of closer Jhoan Duran, but he is running a high walk rate.

“It pisses me the fuck off,” Kerkering said. “It’s frustrating because you can’t give this team a chance to win, almost, it feels like. It pisses me off a lot. I just gotta figure it out.”

The Phillies could benefit from having more options to get to Duran.

“For sure, yeah, we’re concerned,” Realmuto said. “But I mean, we believe we have the guys in this room to get it done. We’ve got guys that have got a lot of big outs for us in the last few years with really good stuff. Like I mentioned, we’re just not attacking the zone. We are getting behind too much. That’s something we have to work on. The stuff is there. We just have to get better and attack the zone and be able to throw strikes early in the count, especially when you’re facing good hitters. It’s hard to get them out when you’re behind. I just think we’re at too many counts, 2-1, 3-1, late in the game right now.”

Lefty Tim Mayza, who had a good start to this year, has been hit hard this month. He allowed the go-ahead run in a left-on-left matchup. Gunnar Henderson, in the midst of a tough year against lefties, pounded his fist on the dirt as he reached third. Another uplifting comeback for the opponent, another tough loss in a stretch of gut punches.

Pick any loss in July and you’ll find a Phillies weakness on display. Every game is a different argument for what the Phillies’ biggest need is at the Aug. 3 trade deadline. The problem is that almost all of them are valid.

It looked like starting pitching was going to be the topic of the night in the first, when Painter threw two pitches to the backstop and gave up a two-run home run to Pete Alonso on a poorly located fastball. Both Mattingly and Realmuto believed Painter was nervous. He was able to recover and give the Phillies an encouraging start.

He’s not guaranteed another one, but the Phillies’ pitching depth is in a much better spot if Painter is past the worst of his struggles.

“Obviously with the way it started, the first two batters, I gotta dig deep,” Painter said. “That’s one of those where it can go south real quick. To be able to bounce back and put together six was a big win.”

Painter was informed on the field at Coca-Cola Park on Thursday that he was starting for the Phillies on Friday in Baltimore. A call-up was not on his radar.

“It wasn’t too bad of a drive,” Painter said.

The hits are coming in all sorts of directions for the Phillies. They have great pitching, but need more of it. They are platooning all around the outfield. They are one of the worst defensive teams in baseball. They have the worst on-base percentage in the sport.

And not everything will be solved at the deadline, but a pair of wins over the weekend at Camden Yards with their two aces, Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler, on the mound will make everything feel a little less dire.

“It’s tough,” Realmuto said. “This is not the brand of baseball we want to be playing. We’ve got the guys in this room to win.”

BALTIMORE– The Phillies have recalled right-handed pitcher Andrew Painter from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to start Friday’s game against the Baltimore Orioles.

Painter, 23, last pitched in the majors with the Phillies on June 17. He was demoted to Triple-A following the game after allowing six runs in two innings. In 14 games in the majors with the Phillies, Painter is 1-8 with a 7.06 ERA.

Over his last two starts with the IronPigs, Painter allowed three earned runs over 11 innings. Painter’s start day in the minors lined up with the Phillies’ No 5 spot. Interim manager Don Mattingly said the Phillies decided during the off day on Thursday that Painter was going to be the starter.

“Just listening to the pitching people,” Mattingly told reporters pregame in Baltimore. “I felt good about where he was at, confident. From there, he gives us the best chance to win a game tonight.”

Painter is not promised another start. The Phillies could acquire another starting pitcher before the Aug. 3 trade deadline, which would naturally bump him out of the rotation.

“There wasn’t a whole lot of talk about, like, the future, but it was like, ‘This is the best guy for us to win a game today,'” Mattingly said.

Painter’s six weeks in Triple-A served as a reset of sorts. Painter struggled initially, but the Phillies felt like his command has improved enough for him to make a spot start.

“The biggest thing for us is that his command has been good, confidence has been good,” Mattingly said. “The guys down (in Lehigh Valley) felt like that was the best they’ve seen him throw the ball. So it was like it felt like it was time.”

Could Friday’s start be an audition for another team? It would be surprising to see the Phillies sell low on Painter at this year’s deadline. He was an untouchable prospect since 2022.

As a corresponding move for Painter’s addition to the roster, the Phillies optioned right-handed pitcher Brian Keller to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Keller pitched three scoreless innings as part of a bullpen game on Saturday against the New York Yankees.

Following a disastrous three-game series in Miami, the Phillies will head to Baltimore this weekend for a series against the Orioles, their last before the trade deadline.

The Phillies (57-52) have gone 3-9 since the All-Star break, falling to seven games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East. They remain second in the division and two games up on a playoff spot, but Philadelphia is now tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the race for the second Wild Card, and they are now five games back of the Cubs for the first spot. 

There is still plenty of time for the Phillies to turn things around, but they will have to start to soon. Two division rivals, the Marlins and Nationals, are just 2.5 games behind them, following Miami’s sweep of the Phillies this week. Those three Philadelphia losses included a blown two-run lead in the ninth, a 1-0 loss, and a blown 6-0 lead.  While the Phillies hope to receive external reinforcements by Monday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline, any major improvement will have to come primarily from within.

The Baltimore Orioles (53-56) have also battled inconsistency this season, spending most of the year lingering just under .500. But July has been the team’s best month so far, as they have gone 14-8 this month. They still find themselves fourth in a competitive AL East, but are now just 2.5 games back of the last spot in a weak AL Wild Card race. As a result, this coming series against the Phillies could play a major role in determining whether the team buys or sells at the deadline.

The last time Philadelphia and Baltimore faced each other, in August 2025, the Phillies took two games out of three at Citizens Bank Park. If they could do the same this weekend at Camden Yards, it would be the Phillies’ first series victory of the second half, and a much-needed one at that.

The two teams will play a pair of night games Friday and Saturday, followed by an afternoon finale Sunday.

All three games will be broadcast locally. Here’s when and where you can watch the series on TV:

• Friday, July 31, at 7:05 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Saturday, August 1, at 7:05 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia
• Sunday, August 2, at 1:35 p.m. ET: NBC Sports Philadelphia

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — As a member of the Omaha Storm Chasers, Kameron Misner blitzed Triple-A Lehigh Valley with a 5-for-12 hitting performance across the three-game sweep out of the All-Star break. After falling victim to his hot streak, the IronPigs can now call Misner one of their own.

The Phillies acquired the 28-year-old outfielder from the Royals on Saturday for cash considerations and immediately optioned him to Triple-A. This was good news for IronPigs manager Chris Adamson, who said he’s “been a Misner guy for a couple of years,” although he wished the trade was made about a week earlier when homered in his first at-bat of the series.

“He’s got a lot of different facets to his game that make him a really exciting player,” Adamson said. “He can leave the yard, he can steal a base, he can bunt, he can play above average center field. For us, it’s going to be a definite upgrade for our team and it’s going to add some versatility.”

For Misner, the 72 hours between his designation for assignment by the Royals and his trade to the Phillies brought on a lot of uncertainty. He explained he previously went through a similar experience when he was traded to Kansas City from the Rays in November after a four-day buffer following his DFA. Having now been traded three times since being drafted 35th overall by the Marlins in 2019, Misner knows that any time he’s moved is out of his control.

“I went home, got away from baseball for a couple days, and here we are packing stuff back up in different colors but same cleats,” Misner said. “Just got to lace them up and play.”

He also knows there’s positives to meeting all the faces in a new clubhouse.

“You meet different guys, you work out with different guys on the team and different coaches,” he said. “You kind of take some from everybody and just continue to grow as a player.”

A left-handed hitter, Misner hit .286/.378/.563 with 14 home runs in 63 games for Omaha earlier this season. He was promoted to the majors in June and slashed .220/.256/.244 in 44 plate appearances across 18 games for the Royals. Misner has a career .206/.259/.312 slash line across three seasons with the Rays and Royals, while batting .249/.367/.449 over seven seasons of minor-league ball.

But Misner’s strengths lie in his defense, which he said he takes a lot of pride in, and also does “a lot of good things” when he gets on base.

“I wish you could steal first base, but you can’t,” he joked.

Misner made his IronPigs debut on Wednesday in a ninth-inning pinch-hit situation for Robert Moore, and he knocked down a two-out single on a full count to extend the game. When he is in the lineup, however, Adamson said Misner will hit “either at the top or somewhere in the middle,” and will offer a “slightly more dynamic way” of putting the lineup together. Misner hit his first home run for the IronPigs on Thursday night.

“As long as we’re looking after our own backyard, and once we go out there, we just leave it all out there and do whatever best suits the team, I think we’ll be in an OK spot,” Adamson said. “Right now there’s a lot of excitement, it’s a good thing to have him in our uniform.”

The main challenge for Misner will be staying in the moment. Luckily for him, the IronPigs have faced off against him enough to know what kind of player they’re getting out of him.

“The coaching staff reiterated that they want me to go out there and continue what you’ve been doing, and there’s no pressure or nothing like that,” Misner said. “Just show up, play and have fun doing it.”

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is approaching his sixth trade deadline since joining his current organization.

In his five previous deadlines with the Phillies, Dombrowski has made 14 trades involving at least one major-league player. Some have resulted in huge swings, and others have left a lot to be desired. In preparation for Major League Baseball’s trade deadline on Monday, here’s a look at all the big-league trades Dombrowski has pulled off either at the deadline or in the days leading up to it since 2021:

Ranking of Dave Dombrowski’s deadline deals with the Phillies

14. LHP Bailey Falter to Pittsburgh for SS Rodolfo Castro, 2023

Technically, both Falter and Castro were in the minor leagues when this trade went down. But Castro, the Phillies’ lone offensive addition at the 2023 trade deadline, spent the rest of the year in the big leagues. However, he barely played down the stretch, picking up only three hits in 32 plate appearances for Philadelphia, was left off the postseason roster and never appeared in another game in the majors again. He spent the next two seasons in the Phillies organization before signing in Japan for 2026.

13. RHP Seranthony Domínguez and OF Cristian Pache to Baltimore for OF Austin Hays, 2024

Hays was acquired to be the right-handed-hitting solution for the outfield problem. Instead, his brief Phillies tenure was plagued by an unfortunate bout with bad health. Hays played in only 22 games in the regular season after the trade as he battled a kidney infection. He had just a .672 OPS, then went hitless in four plate appearances as the Phillies were bounced out of the National League Division Series by the Mets. He signed with the Reds in the offseason and is now with the White Sox.

Domínguez, meanwhile, was a solid reliever for the Orioles before he was traded to the Blue Jays last year. He’s now Hays’ teammate in Chicago, where he has a 4.21 ERA in 41 outings.

12. 2B Hao-Yu Lee to Detroit for RHP Michael Lorenzen, 2023

Lorenzen’s time with the Phillies will forever be unforgettable thanks to the no-hitter he twirled in his second start with the team. But the rental right-hander regressed hard after that outing, posting a 5.11 ERA in 11 total outings after the trade. The swingman did not earn a spot in the rotation for the playoffs, and he was not a trusted reliever in October either. Lorenzen made two scoreless postseason appearances in 2023, closing out a lopsided NLDS win and securing four outs while Philadelphia trailed in Game 6 of the NL Championship Series against Arizona.

Lee, 23, currently has a .747 OPS in 66 games as a rookie for the Tigers after making his debut in April.

11. RHP Tyler Burch to Baltimore for SS Freddy Galvis, 2021

Ultimately, this trade was pretty inconsequential. Galvis’ second stint in Philadelphia was not particularly memorable. He had a .684 OPS in 32 games in his last major-league stop. Burch never made it past Double-A. Maybe the Phillies could have made a bigger splash than Galvis, but it probably would not have gotten them into the postseason that year.

10. RHP George Klassen and LHP Sam Aldegheri to the Los Angeles Angels for RHP Carlos Estévez, 2025

Estévez got results after the trade with a 2.57 ERA in 20 regular-season appearances with six saves, but the crushing grand slam he surrendered to Francisco Lindor in the playoffs ultimately defined his Phillies career. While Klassen and Aldegheri have both struggled in limited big-league opportunities, Klassen was in the midst of a breakout season when Philadelphia decided to pay a steep price to cash in for a rental reliever.

9. LHP Gregory Soto to Baltimore for RHP Seth Johnson and RHP Moisés Chace, 2024

The hard-throwing Soto had a 4.42 ERA in 112 appearances in parts of two seasons with the Phillies. He was inconsistent and open to a trade, so the team flipped him for Johnson and Chace. Johnson was a starter in the minor leagues at the time, but he’s since been converted to a reliever and is currently in Philadelphia’s bullpen; he has a 5.51 ERA in 16 outings. Chace is an intriguing prospect, but he is still on the way back to the mound after undergoing Tommy John surgery last year.

8. SS William Bergolla to the Chicago White Sox for LHP Tanner Banks, 2024

As the Phillies dealt Soto, they added Banks as a lefty in the bullpen in exchange for Bergolla, a contact-hitting infield prospect. Banks was effective in 2024, and he emerged as a reliable bullpen piece last season with a 3.07 ERA in 69 appearances. This season has been quite poor for Banks, who has a 7.14 ERA and is currently on the 60-day injured list. But he remains under team control for two more years

7. RHP Spencer Howard, RHP Josh Gessner and RHP Kevin Gowdy to Texas for RHP Ian Kennedy, RHP Kyle Gibson, RHP Hans Crouse and cash, 2021

Kennedy did not pitch very well as the Phillies’ closer in 2021, and Gibson was only a back-end starter for parts of two seasons in Philadelphia. But the fact that the Phillies got anything of note for Howard was good business. The former top pitching prospect made his debut for the Phillies in 2020 and did not perform. He didn’t look the part in 2021 either. That didn’t change with the Rangers, and Howard went on to have a career 7.00 ERA in 47 outings for four teams. Gessner topped out at High-A, and Gowdy never made it past Triple-A.

The veteran Kennedy had a 4.13 ERA in 23 outings for the Phillies. The next year, Gibson helped the club get through the season as an innings eater with a 5.05 ERA in 167 2/3 innings across 31 starts. Crouse appeared in just two games as a Phillie.

6. RHP Ben Brown to the Chicago Cubs for RHP David Robertson, 2022

Robertson was a veteran, rental reliever who had already spent time in Philadelphia (and later came back for a third go-around in 2025). He had a 2.70 ERA in 22 games and produced in the playoffs. There were certainly shaky moments, such as his nail-biting save in Game 1 of the World Series or when Ranger Suarez had to replace him to close out the NLCS, and Brown was a valuable prospect. But Robertson was a piece of the team that went on that surprise run.

The 26-year-old Brown has a 1.85 ERA in 68 innings as a swingman this year, but he’s been on the injured list with a neck issue since late June.

5. OF Mickey Moniak and OF Jadiel Sanchez to the Los Angeles Angels for RHP Noah Syndergaard, 2022

Syndergaard was no longer the “Thor” who dazzled with the Mets in his younger years, but the right-hander was helpful to the Phillies as a rental. He had a 4.12 ERA in 10 appearances in the regular season, and he was serviceable in October. Syndergaard threw a scoreless inning out of the bullpen in NLDS Game 2 and allowed one run as the starter in the clinching Game 4 versus the Braves three days later. The righty tossed 1 1/3 scoreless in relief in NLCS Game 4 before starting Game 5 of the World Series. He did not fare as well in that loss to the Astros, giving up two runs in three innings as he failed to get an out in the top of the fourth.

Moniak, the former No. 1 draft pick, never really hit in his chances with the Phillies and would not have had a clear path to playing time after that deadline. He’s now on the Colorado Rockies and has an .890 OPS this season.

4. LHP JoJo Romero to St. Louis for SS Edmundo Sosa, 2022

The Phillies acquired Sosa in 2022, and he platooned with Bryson Stott at shortstop throughout the club’s pennant run. While this year has been a disappointing one, Sosa put together parts of four seasons as a dependable, useful part-time contributor and spark plug following the trade. He can play multiple positions, and he’s come up with a lot of big hits despite his limitations. The Phillies could certainly use more out of him in 2026, but he was a huge pickup four years ago.

Romero has been very successful with the Cardinals, putting up a 3.07 ERA in 216 appearances since the trade. He’s on the IL right now, but he’s made sure this swap has largely been a win-win for both sides.

3. RHP Geremy Villoria and OF Hendry Mendez to Minnesota for OF Harrison Bader, 2025

The outfield turned into a formidable unit late last season, and Bader’s arrival was the key factor. He settled into an everyday role in center field. He heated up at the plate, batting .305 with an .824 with the Phillies. Maybe that NLDS against the Dodgers goes different if Bader doesn’t get limited by injury.

The Phillies did not re-sign Bader, which seems like the right choice. He’s played only 30 games for the Giants due to a foot injury. But even if he just caught lightning in a bottle, his two months in Philly were fun to watch.

Mendez is swinging the bat well in the Twins system and has reached Triple-A. Villoria, 17, made six scoreless appearances in the Florida Complex League this season.

2. RHP Mick Abel and C Eduardo Tait to Minnesota for RHP Jhoan Duran, 2025

In another trade with the Twins last year, the Phillies got a certified closer in Duran. Outside of a few hiccups, the club has mostly been able to feel like game is over when it gets to the ninth inning with a lead. Duran’s presence and unique arsenal in the bullpen can change the entire dynamic. And the right-handed flamethrower, who has a 2.04 ERA in 38 games with 24 saves this season, is under team control through next year.

Abel rebuilt his value last year and remains an interesting future rotation piece, but he’s dealt with elbow issues this season. Tait, a promising 19-year-old catcher, is batting .225 with 18 home runs and a .730 OPS in High-A.

1. C Logan O’Hoppe to the Los Angeles Angels for OF Brandon Marsh, 2022

O’Hoppe was a Double-A catching prospect who was blocked by J.T. Realmuto, so the Phillies moved him at the 2022 deadline. In return they received Marsh, who has developed into a very good big-league outfielder. He was a center fielder when the Phillies first got him, but he now plays in the corners. Left-handers are still his weakness, although a competitive stretch earlier this season assisted in landing him his first All-Star nod. Marsh might be slumping at the moment, but he has a .785 OPS in his Phillies career and can punish righties.

The 26-year-old O’Hoppe’s career has trended downward the past two seasons. He was traded to the Texas Rangers and optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday. The backstop had a .565 OPS in 75 games for Los Angeles this year.

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Alex McFarlane’s phone rang last Sunday with the news that he was getting promoted to the Phillies. Unlike the first time he was called up in April, he finally got the chance to pitch in the pinstripes.

The right-hander’s debut came in last Wednesday’s 9-5 loss to the Dodgers at Citizens Bank Park, dealing a scoreless ninth inning. McFarlane said he was able to get his feet wet after retiring his first hitter — none other than Shohei Ohtani — on just one pitch.

“Pitching in front of that fanbase was insane,” McFarlane said Tuesday. “It was a great experience.”

Three days later, a new chapter opened up for the 25-year-old. McFarlane was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, marking his first opportunity in Triple-A. He threw a shutout inning with two strikeouts in the IronPigs’ 5-4 loss on Wednesday night at Coca-Cola Park.

Typically, players make their Triple-A debut before their big-league debut, but the process was backwards for McFarlane. He said nothing changes for him as he sticks with the “same routine, same process” in an IronPigs uniform as he always has.

“It’s another mound to pitch on,” he said. “I played with a lot of these guys during camp and spring training, so I know a lot of familiar faces here. Just taking the same routines I had all season.”

Staying consistent with his pregame, recovery and strength routines has always been one of McFarlane’s sticking points, especially since he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. After he posted an 0-4 record with a 5.72 ERA in 16 starts for Low-A Clearwater that season, the surgery kept him off the mound until 2025, which he said was a growth period for him.

“You have a lot of time alone to really think and understand where your position is right now, and understand what you need to do to develop as a player,” McFarlane said. “Whether it’s mentally or physically, finding different things to just build on about yourself.”

Although he began his comeback campaign last season in High-A Jersey Shore’s starting rotation, McFarlane was moved to the bullpen in August and earned his promotion to Double-A Reading in September. The decision has paid off since. McFarlane had a 2.06 ERA in 35 innings for Reading and was promoted to the Phillies twice before landing at Lehigh Valley.

For someone two years removed from Tommy John surgery, staying healthy was McFarlane’s main priority when he adjusted to more frequent bullpen appearances. 

“Making sure I get my routines down with my weight training and staying healthy in the training room,” he said. “Routines in the bullpen are going to vary as opposed to what day you’re going to pitch, but the transition was great.”

Along with continuing to adjust to the reliever role, McFarlane said he’s been working on his sweeper this year and has noticed progression after changing his grip.

“Same arm slot, same release and just a grip adjustment,” he said. “It’s been one of my best pitches this year and a good transition from the slider.”

A native of the U.S. Virgin Islands, McFarlane grew up playing soccer, running track and swimming, but ultimately stuck it out with baseball. After moving to Georgia for his senior year of high school, McFarlane was drafted by the Cardinals in the 25th round of the 2019 draft. He instead chose to attend the University of Miami and signed with the Phillies in 2022 as a fourth-round draft selection. 

McFarlane is now the newest addition to an IronPigs bullpen that has been a revolving door with the Phillies’ bullpen all season long. He’s already begun to slide in as a go-to option for manager Chris Adamson as he looks to continue developing in hopes of getting an extended role with Philadelphia down the stretch.

The Phillies had a 6-0 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth. The Marlins came back to tie it 6-6 in the seventh and take the lead in the eighth in an 8-6 loss. Philadelphia has been swept in Miami and have lost nine of the first 12 games coming back from the break. 

All three losses in Miami were tough, but this is the toughest to swallow. It’s the first time the Phillies have blown a six-run lead and lost since August 29, 2022 against the Diamondbacks. 

The Marlins entered the series on a 12-game losing streak. They are now on a three-game winning streak after sweeping the Phillies. It’s the lowest moment of the Phillies’ season since the extended skid that led to the firing of manager Rob Thomson. 

Jesús Luzardo entered the seventh with a three-run lead. Esteury Ruiz began the inning with a single, then stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error from J.T. Realmuto. Ruiz came around to score on an RBI single, and Luzardo was lifted from the game with 100 pitches for Seth Johnson. Johnson, the frequently used righty, allowed a two-run single to Xavier Edwards. 

Jonathan Bowlan, who allowed only one earned run in the month of July heading into the game, gave up a go-ahead pinch hit two-run home run to Griffin Conine. 

After scoring six runs through the first five innings, the Phillies did not record a single hit from innings six to nine. They had a strong offensive showing against Marlins starter Ryan Gusto. Trea Turner homered, Bryce Harper tripled, Justin Crawford had two hits and Bryson Stott drove in a pair of RBIs with two outs. 

They are not in deep trouble in the standings, but are in danger of falling behind if their stretch of poor play continues. The Diamondbacks have overtaken the Phillies for the second wild card spot after they beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 3-0. Arizona and Philadelphia (57-52) have identical records, but Arizona holds the tiebreaker as the D-Backs took two of three from the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park in April. 

The Phillies will look to rebound on Friday at Camden Yards against the Baltimore Orioles. The No. 5 spot in the rotation is up, so the Phillies are listed as TBD.

On Tuesday night after the Phillies’ 1-0 loss to the Marlins, Bryce Harper was asked about the team’s readiness to hit playoff-caliber pitching in October. 

Harper, as always, was honest. 

“Yeah man, I think we need some help,” Harper told reporters. When asked if the team needed a bat or an arm, Harper said, “Both.” 

He’s not wrong. The Phillies have holes all around the roster that need to be addressed in the next five days. Nobody is disagreeing with him. 

But it’s clear that interim manager Don Mattingly was not thrilled that Harper made those comments. He was asked pregame in Miami if he believed other guys were thinking about the deadline the same way Harper is. 

“I sense Bryce thinking about it. I don’t really sense anybody else thinking about it, honestly,” Mattingly told reporters in response to a question from The Athletic’s Matt Gelb. “You’ve been through this: Guys want to be GMs, (say) what you need without a real understanding of where the organization is, exactly where this thing goes not only this year, but moving forward. Again, players like being GMs and making calls and spending other people’s money. So, I just let it go at that.” 

Mattingly said he was not bothered by the substance of Harper’s comments, but rather the idea of him criticizing players currently on the team. 

“I don’t like it from the fact of what I’ve been saying that you’re saying that we don’t like our players that are here,” Mattingly said. “I just don’t, I think you’re always trying to get better. You should always incrementally try to get better no matter who you are. If you’re the Dodgers and you’ve won two straight (World Series), they’re trying to get better in different ways. We’re in the same boat, right? You always try to get better, but when you say something about our team, then you’re saying something about one of our players.” 

This is not the first time that Mattingly has had an issue with Harper expressing his opinion about a roster. Back in spring training of 2018 when Mattingly was the Marlins manager, Harper, in his last year with the Nationals, expressed shock after the Marlins front office traded away Giancarlo Stanton, Marcell Ozuna and Christian Yelich. 

“I thought they were a great team,” Harper said in 2018. “I think they just had to add a couple more pitchers and they would have been pretty dang good.”

Mattingly later responded, saying  it was “not really (Harper’s) place to comment on us.” 

On this year’s disagreement, Mattingly said he doesn’t feel the need to speak to Harper about his comments. 

“Not really. Bryce is Bryce, he’s going to say what he wants,” Mattingly said. “So I’m not really concerned about it. I just take it kind of with a grain of salt, knowing how players are over the years. This is not the first time I heard this. … I always look at it like, internally, I gotta get better, we gotta get better and it’s as simple as that.” 

For many years, the Phillies trade deadline has been all about adding. The Phillies, losers of four consecutive series out of the All-Star break, will buy. Buying, however, won’t solve all of their problems.

Some were anticipated. They did not enter the season with a strong outfield unit. Bryan De La Cruz, a minor league signing who was just called up eight days ago, is the club’s only everyday outfielder. You could argue that they have the worst outfield in baseball. They will be in the market for upgrades.

They did, however, enter the season with some bullpen depth. Jhoan Duran and Brad Keller could have been a fantastic 1-2 punch in the back end, but Keller did not pitch well enough through the first three months of the season and is unofficially out for the season with a UCL tear. Injuries and underperformance in others areas of the bullpen have left the Phillies no choice but to add at least one leverage reliever at the deadline.

And then there’s the rotation. Cristopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler are the reason why the Phillies are buyers, not sellers, at this deadline. Jesús Luzardo has also been stellar after a tough start to the season. They are 43-17 when either of those three are starting and 14-34 when anyone else gets the ball. The Phillies had similar issues in 2024 and chose not to address the rotation. It cost them a chance at the No. 1 seed in the National League. The consequences could be more catastrophic this time around if they do not get another starting pitcher.

The Phillies, as currently constructed, are a playoff team with arguably the worst position player group in the league. They are 30th in MLB in Baseball-Reference WAR among position players at 3.7.

It’s a massive drop-off compared to previous years in this team’s competitive window. In every year since 2022, Phillies position payers have been worth at least 20 bWAR. If the season ended today, the 2026 team would be the least productive Phillies position player group since 1970, when its position players were worth a combined -0.8 bWAR.

Since 1961, only three teams, the 1996 Dodgers (9.8), 2025 Reds (8.6) and 2025 Guardians (9.9) have made the postseason with a combined position player bWAR in the single digits.

A starter, reliever and an outfield bat are the top three needs, but it’s not as simple as that. The Phillies could arguably use an overhaul to their position player group, the kind of shakeup fans were begging for this offseason. Pulling something off mid-season is not realistic nor likely, but it’s worth discussing.

Part of it is this: One of their biggest issues is not fixable simply through adding via trade. They have to add, subtract and maybe convince a pair of veterans to change positions. Or, maybe, everybody just starts catching the ball.

They have the second-highest batting average allowed on balls in play at .316. Trea Turner, Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm have all taken big steps back defensively. It wouldn’t be too surprising if Bohm, a free agent to be who is having a disappointing walk year, is traded. The Phillies would have to find a stronger defensive third baseman on the market. Turner and Harper are not going to another team, but the club’s infield defense will improve if one of them moves to the outfield.

Harper brought his outfield glove with him on the road trip, he told reporters in Miami. He is once again willing to move back to right field if the Phillies can acquire an offensive upgrade in the infield. Harper has no plans on being an outfielder long term. He has been healthy this year, but has struggled with injuries in the past.

His first base defense, while strong in previous years, has been terrible this year. Some of the mistakes aren’t obvious right away, but too many ground balls hit to first base this season have turned into extra bases instead of outs. The uncomfortable truth is that Harper may be closer to a DH than an outfielder or first baseman at this point in his career.

Turner, after an incredible defensive season at shortstop last year, is struggling to make plays a major league shortstop has to make. He leads MLB in errors with 19. The Phillies insist that they are riding with Turner as a shortstop, but not even considering a position change during the season with so much at stake is irresponsible. Turner has played center field in the past. Maybe a move to second base will take some pressure off of him.

Both sides have to be open-minded to it. The team has to work up the courage to ask him to move. Turner has to have the humility to accept that a change in position could be what’s best for the team. Will any of this happen? Probably not.

Either way, something needs to change because the Phillies cannot afford to give away easy outs in October — if they get there.

And getting there this year is not necessarily a given. They enter Wednesday with a two-game lead over the Pittsburgh Pirates, the team just outside of the NL wild card race. Winning the division is still a possibility, but the Phillies are currently six back of the first-place Atlanta Braves. They comfortably made the postseason in each of the last two seasons as division winners. That will likely not be the case this year.

That’s why everything needs to be on the table for Dave Dombrowski. They may not have the prospect capital to compete with teams like the Dodgers, Brewers and Rays for top stars like Tarik Skubal or Mason Miller, but they have enough to get something done.

The strength of this year’s trade market is starting pitching. A trade for a Robbie Ray or Kevin Gausman could make a huge difference now in the rotation and in the bullpen come October.

But it shouldn’t be all about addition. Some subtraction could help a team that responded to a wake-up call in April and may need another.

With a shorthanded batting order that looked thin as soon as it was announced, the Phillies’ offense did not pull off a surprise performance on Tuesday night in Miami.

The Phillies, playing with a lineup that did not include slugger Kyle Schwarber and had Garrett Stubbs in for starter J.T. Realmuto, were shut out in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins at loanDepot park. Two veteran starters were on the mound in Miami’s Sandy Alcantara and Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola, and both threw the ball well. The Marlins, with one first-inning run, were able to do just enough to leave with a win.

Philadelphia (57-51) clinched its fourth consecutive series loss to open the second half. The Phillies are now 3-8 since the All-Star break. They’ve been shut out twice in that span and held to only one run four more times.

Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, shut down the Phillies for seven innings, going 4 2/3 before even allowing a hit. The right-hander gave up four hits and walked one while striking out five. Philadelphia’s first hit came in the top of the fifth, when former Marlin Bryan De La Cruz recorded a two-out infield single to first base. But Alcantara worked around it and fired two more scoreless frames.

Nola, who has struggled for a lot of this season, turned in a productive outing. He allowed just one run in 5 2/3 innings, giving up five hits and three walks while striking out four Marlins. Miami’s Kyle Stowers crushed a hanging curveball from Nola in the first inning for a solo home run, but the 33-year-old brushed it aside to keep the Marlins at one run.

The Phillies, however, were not able to scratch across the equalizer. They’ll try to avoid a series sweep on Wednesday afternoon with former Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo pitching.

Phillies catcher Garrett Stubbs is back on the active roster following a minimum stint on the 10-day injured list.

Stubbs was officially reinstated Tuesday, the club announced. Backstop Payton Henry was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley to make room on the 26-man roster.

The 33-year-old Stubbs was placed on the IL with inflammation in his left wrist last week in a move that was retroactive to July 18. But shortly after Stubbs was shelved, backup catcher Rafael Marchán hit the IL with patellar tendonitis in his left knee. Philadelphia purchased Henry’s contract to back up veteran starter J.T. Realmuto until Stubbs could come back; Henry did not appear in a game for the Phillies.

Stubbs will now serve as the No. 2 behind Realmuto for the time being. He had spent most of the season as a seldom-used third catcher and utility man, starting only nine games and appearing in just 20 from April 22 until July 18. He will, however, start behind the plate and bat ninth against the Marlins on Tuesday night at loanDepot park.

The left-handed-hitting Stubbs is batting .179 with a .429 OPS in 32 plate appearances this season. He’s spent time at catcher, first base, third base and left field while also pitching in four games as a mop-up man.