Phillies Mailbag: Lazer, Playoff Rotation, Forgotten Kingery

We are back once again with a 97.3 ESPN Phillies Mailbag.  We take your questions each week and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill.  Tune in on Tuesday afternoons to hear your questions answered on the air.

Any chance Max Lazer from AAA gets a look in the show this year?
~Michael

We are beyond the July 30th trade deadline in which major league teams are able to add via trade.  The league did away with waiver trades in August, which in the past allowed the Phillies to add pieces such as Jamie Moyer, Matt Stairs, and Scott Eyre for a final playoff push. Now, only trades could be made for players not on a team's 40-man roster.

Therefore, a lot of the upcoming Phillies depth will have to come from within.  And that may lead to opportunities for the likes of Max Lazer, or any player on the Triple-A roster who is performing well.

For those who do not know Lazer, the Phillies signed him to a minor league contract in the offseason.  He was assigned to Double-A Reading on May 8th and was briefly there before setting in at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.  For the IronPigs, he's been pretty good out of the bullpen.

After eight scoreless outings with Double-A Reading, Lazer has gone 2-3 with a 2.40 earned run average in 26 games with the IronPigs.  The righty has put together a 1.03 WHIP at Triple-A.

Healthy relief on the 40-man roster is Michael Mercado and Michael Rucker as well as staring pitcher Max Castillo.

If the Phillies have another injury or two, or need a fresh arm after the bullpen is overworked, the Phillies could dip to that depth.

The Phillies meanwhile expect Taijuan Walker is rehabbing tonight at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and should be back soon, and Spencer Turnbull could return in late August.  But without the ability to add via trade, I would say Lazer and anyone who is performing are on the table.

So what will the plan with starting pitchers be in the first round of playoffs? Don't they usually go with only 3? Wheeler, Nola, Suarez or Sanchez?
~Kevin

Usually a team would need four starting pitchers in the playoffs.  The Wild Card series (if necessary for the Phillies) and the Division Series are often scheduled close together and a fourth starter is usually necessary, depending on when one team eliminates the competition.

Beyond that, should the Phillies advance to the NLCS, there are days off scheduled after games 2 and 5.  So that would require all four starters for them to pitch on normal rest.

So expect Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suárez all to start in the playoffs.

There is often a delay between the League Championship Series and the World Series that could allow teams to reset their pitching rotations.  But this year, should both LCS be finished by Saturday, October 19, the World Series would be moved up to begin on Tuesday, October 22 rather than Friday, October 25.

So it looks like they need all four.  Hopefully, they will all be healthy.

When will Scott Kingery finally get another chance with the Phillies?
~William

The six-year, $24 million contract signed by Scott Kingery expired after the 2023 season.  The one-time promising prospect who was at times hailed as the "next Chase Utley" and compared to Red Sox star second baseman Dustin Pedroia completed his contract completely off of the 40-man roster.  We thought that would be the end of the story.

But Kingery's initial rookie contract still had minor league years remaining on it.  The Phillies, rather than simply cutting Kingery and letting him search for a fresh start elsewhere, the Phillies retained Kingery, and he has been playing at Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Now 30 years-old, Kingery is batting .275 for the IronPigs, showing some power along the way.  He has hit 22 home runs, 11 doubles, and three triples, for an .852 OPS.

As he has in Philadelphia, Kingery has played several positions.  At Triple-A he's played shortstop the most, with 72 appearances, along with 16 games at second base, with one in center field.

I was a little surprised the Phillies did not add more bench help at the trade deadline.  The Phillies let Whit Merrifield go, seeking more production.  But Weston Wilson has only given them marginally more than Merrifield.   Yet, I do not think they'd replace Wilson with Kingery.

As I said above: the options to add are few after July 30.  So if a right-handed position player has a nagging injury, I would not be surprised if Kingery was summoned.  The Phillies still have left-handed hitting David Dahl at Triple-A in an emergency.  Matt Kroon could also be an option.

But if the Phillies are not going to summon Kingery, why is he here?  Perhaps the Phillies could trade Kingery as a non-40-man player that could help someone else.  Or maybe he gets one more go.  But it would take an injury or two.