Phillies Outright 32-Year-Old Pitcher to Minors During Cardinals Series

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 25: Brian Keller #48 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches and makes his major league debut in the third inning during a game against the New York Yankees at Citizens Bank Park on July 25, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) Getty

The Philadelphia Phillies designated right-hander Brian Keller for assignment when they signed Nestor Cortes Jr. for rotation depth. Two days later, the club announced that Keller had been outrighted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Keller, 32, made his MLB debut for the Phillies on July 25. The right-hander allowed one run in three innings in his one appearance. After his one outing, he was optioned to Lehigh Valley and didn’t get another call-up.

The organization battled rotation issues for much of the season, as Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter struggled. However, the two starters have turned in better outings of late, helping the club piece together a seven-game win streak in August.

What the Brian Keller News Means for the Phillies

The first takeaway from this news is that Brian Keller cleared waivers. With only six days of service time, he lacks the ability to reject the outright assignment. He’ll report to Lehigh Valley and finish out the rest of the season there unless called up again.

The 32-year-old joined the Phillies as a minor league free agent in May. Before then, he had been out of affiliated baseball since the end of the 2022 season. He spent a year with the Hanshin Tigers in Japan, making three appearances for them in 2023.

He’s pitched to a 4.11 ERA over 46 innings in Triple-A. He’ll continue to serve as rotation depth there, in case of an injury to the club’s current starting five. He’s stretched out to five innings and 84 pitches, if the Phillies need that starter.

2026 marks Keller’s seventh season in the minors. That means he can elect free agency if the Phillies don’t add him to the 40-man roster after the season.

Phillies Rotation Situation Entering Final Stretch

The Phillies enter a critical stretch of the season. Thanks to their seven-game win streak, they are 13 games over .500. That’s allowed them to create some separation in the National League Wild Card race.

Barring any injuries, the Phillies will finish the season with a starting five of Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesus Luzardo, Aaron Nola, and Andrew Painter. Painter would be bumped from the rotation when the team shifts to a four-man rotation for the postseason.

This is how the front office envisioned their rotation would look at the start of the 2026 season. It took much of the season for them to get there, but the Phillies’ rotation is in the best shape it’s been all year.

The Nestor Cortes Jr. signing serves as an insurance policy. The veteran left-hander is currently in Low-A Clearwater to stretch out to some degree. He missed much of the 2025 season rehabbing a torn biceps that required surgery.

How much the Phillies stretch out the 31-year-old remains to be seen. The minor league season is nearing its conclusion, limiting the number of opportunities for Cortes to stretch out.

It’s unlikely the Phillies will be able to fully stretch him out into a starter’s workload, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be strictly a short-burst reliever. At full strength, Cortes could be a long reliever for the postseason. That could mean he eats 2-3 innings per appearance.

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