Philadelphia Phillies: 3 players who could be off the roster by September 1

1. Phillies haven’t gotten enough out of Jose Alvarado this year

The Phillies did demote Jose Alvarado earlier this year. Frankly, Triple-A is probably where he belongs.

Alvarado doesn’t seem like he’ll ever reign in his control. He hasn’t been quite as wild as he was last year in terms of walks but batters are making better contact against him. He’s likely to finish with an ERA higher than the 4.20 he had in 2021.

The flashiness of Alvarado can be intimidating some days but the implosions occur too often. And when they do occur, nothing seems to stop the bleeding.

The same way Nelson can feel a little more secure because of his ability to pitch multiple innings in relief, Alvarado has his left arm working in his favor. Brad Hand is their only other southpaw in the bullpen. So unless they want to use Sanchez or someone else in a relief role, Alvarado might be safe.

It might be a little too deflating for Alvarado to get sent down at this point of the season. If he was able to survive the early August roster purge which relieved us of Familia, Odubel Herrera, and Didi Gregorius then maybe he is able to last the rest of the season.

The Phillies are fortunate to have a lot of pitchers with minor league options which helps with shuttling pitchers up and down the farm. But for the sake of improving the role of second lefty in the bullpen, Alvarado is going to need to pitch his best.