Phillies Send Down Abel, Call Up Johnson

As the Phillies prepare for their final weekend home series before the All-Star break, they made a move to add another arm to their beleaguered bullpen, adding right-hander Seth Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Johnson, 26, has made two relief appearances for the Phillies this year, pitching Wednesday against the Padres, tossing two scoreless innings with two strikeouts in the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader.

Johnson will add another arm to the bullpen, replacing starter Mick Anel, who was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh.

Abel is 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 25 innings pitched this season.

Mick Abel's Recent Struggles

Abel was scheduled to pitch one more time in San Francisco, but Phillies manager Rob Thomson said before the game on Friday that Taijuan Walker will fill that spot and then the team will reassess the spot in the rotation after the All-Star break.

Will Andrew Painter Be Up Next?

The bigger question is who will fill that spot in the rotation after the All-Star break? Will we see the debut of Andrew Painter, or will they recall Abel to pitch when the team returns from the break?

Phillies 4th of July Lineup vs Reds

The Phillies have a 4th of July afternoon game at Citizens Bank Park with Bryce Harper back in the No. 3 spot after missing the second game of the doubleheader on Wednesday.

Kemp is in left field today with Sosa over at second base and Rojas in center. Max Kepler, Bryson Stott, and Brandon Marsh are sitting this one out today.