It’s hard to find negatives in the way the Philadelphia Phillies have started this season. At 7-2, they’re on top of the National League East division. They’re heading into an important divisional series with the struggling Atlanta Braves. They just took two of three games from the Los Angeles Dodgers and look like a team that should compete for a playoff spot in 2025.
Everything looks good. But leave it to Phillies fans to find something to worry about.
The Phillies’ biggest disappointment in the opening week has been reliever Jordan Romano. The 31-year-old signed a one-year, $8.5 million contract to solidify the Philadelphia bullpen but has struggled at the beginning of the year, allowing seven earned runs in his first four innings.
The issues haven’t been enough to cost the Phillies a game, as they’ve rallied all three times that Romano has blown a lead. But it’s been something to monitor as the two-time All-Star looks to regain his form with his new team.
Decreased Velocity Highlights Jordan Romano’s Struggles With Phillies
Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia looked into Romano’s issues after he allowed three runs in three batters without recording an out in the seventh inning of Sunday’s 8-7 win over the Dodgers. The outing marked Romano’s second blown save of the early campaign and comes off the heels of an impressive Spring Training where he allowed two walks and four hits with eight strikeouts over 8.2 innings.
So what could be the problem? Romano believes it could be his velocity. Baseball Savant charted the right-hander’s fastball at 96.4 mph during his final season with the Toronto Blue Jays but that number has dipped to 94.6 in the opening weeks of the season. His control has also vanished since he put on a Phillies uniform with his walk rate jumping from 6.5% last year to 18.2% in 2025.
“I’m used to being 96 [mph] around there the whole time,” Romano told Seidman on Sunday. “I don’t know what’s going on right now but I need to figure it out. I’ve got to get the velo up because when the velo’s right, it helps the slider too. When the velo’s down it’s easier to take the slider. I’m going to look at some video, try to dive in and figure this out really quick.”
Romano’s performance could also be injury-related. He was limited to 15 games last year with an elbow injury and the Blue Jays non-tendered him last winter, allowing the Phillies to scoop him up on the open market. While it seemed like a solid move, picking up a player that posted a 6.59 ERA seemed like a bad idea even if he had All-Star potential and the Phillies are finding out in the first week of the year.
The good news is that there’s plenty of time to turn it around and Romano’s track record suggests there’s some untapped potential going forward. But if he can’t, his short-term deal suggests he could be on thin ice or even find his way to the chopping block as the Phillies go through the summer.