NEW YORK — The Phillies called up 26-year-old lefty Michael Plassmeyer from Triple A in between Games 1 and 2 of their doubleheader Saturday at Citi Field.
Plassmeyer was tasked with starting the nightcap, helping eat innings on the final weekend of the season just like he did in Houston in 2022 with six innings of relief in Game 162.
Plassmeyer entered spring training as part of the Phillies' No. 5 starter battle along with top prospect Andrew Painter, lefty Bailey Falter and long reliever/starter Nick Nelson, who is in line to start Sunday against the Mets.
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Plassmeyer allowed only two runs in 14 innings in spring training but walked eight and struck out only six. Once Painter went down with an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery, Falter became the de facto winner of the competition. Falter held on to that job for less than two months before being optioned to Triple A in mid-May and traded at the deadline to Pittsburgh for infielder Rodolfo Castro.
Like Falter, Plassmeyer had a difficult season. He appeared in 16 games with Lehigh Valley (14 starts) and pitched to a 5.05 ERA and 1.39 WHIP, a big difference from his work in 2022 when he had a 2.41 ERA and 1.04 WHIP in 16 starts at Triple A.
The Phillies gained flexibility with the final spot of their roster by placing right-hander Dylan Covey on the 15-day injured list Saturday afternoon with low back pain. Covey was out of minor-league options. He will be eligible for the Phillies' playoff roster when healthy but might not be activated with other pitchers like Michael Lorenzen, Cristopher Sanchez and potentially Taijuan Walker capable of providing length out of the bullpen.
To make room for Plassmeyer on the active roster, reliever Luis Ortiz was optioned to the Phillies' spring training complex in Clearwater. Ortiz was called up before Game 1 and pitched a scoreless eighth inning in relief of Walker. It is likely that Plassmeyer will be optioned Sunday morning to make room for Nelson. Matt Strahm will open for the Phillies in Game 162 and Nelson will follow.
Philadelphia Phillies
As far as the Phillies' pitching staff for the wild-card round, it looks like it will be this group of 13: Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suarez, Craig Kimbrel, Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Gregory Soto, Strahm, Jeff Hoffman, Orion Kerkering, Sanchez, Lorenzen and Walker.
The Phils also have the option of carrying a fifth bench player over a 13th pitcher.