3. Joe Ross
It’s tough to put Ross on this list as he likely didn’t envision himself being used in high-leverage situations much to start the regular season.
However, with Jordan Romano off to a rough start, it puts more pressure and stress on the arms of Ross, Orion Kerkering, Jose Ruiz, and Matt Stram to perform.
Luckily for the Phils, Kerkering and Strahm have pitched well through the first two weeks out of the bullpen, posting 1.69 and 0.00 ERAs, respectively. The 31-year-old Ross has struggled with the long ball in his last two appearances, giving back-to-back bombs in the Braves series.
In the series finale on Thursday, Ross served up an 85 mph slider to Braves outfielder Marcell Ozuna, who crushed it for a two-run walk-off home run in extra innings.
Oh my all it took was 6 pitches from Joe Ross and the Braves with 3 runs, the Marcel Ozuna HR to rip it away from the Philies
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) April 11, 2025
pic.twitter.com/6yYfM9SYfA
Then, in his previous outing on Wednesday night against Atlanta, Ross gave up a solo shot to Austin Riley on a 94 mph slider that tied the game up at 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Austin Riley and the @Braves answer right back and we are tied! 💥 pic.twitter.com/zBJiKoYWdX
— MLB (@MLB) April 10, 2025
That wasn’t what the Phillies expected after retaking the lead thanks to a Bryce Harper two-run shot in the top of the seventh. Luckily, the Phillies won 4-3 after Trea Turner hit a solo home run off of Braves closer Raisel Iglesias.
Through three appearances this month, Ross has a 7.36 ERA, allowing four hits, three earned runs (two home runs), and striking out in 3.2 innings pitched. If you are the Phillies, you do not want to overuse Ross, but it depends on whether Romano can fix his stuff.
The bullpen was a concern of Phillies fans this offseason, especially after the team decided not to re-sign Jeff Hoffman or Carlos Estevez. Fans hope that this isn’t a sign of things to come, as your bullpen can win or lose you games.