Phillies acquire reliever Vinny Nittoli from Toronto Blue Jays

The Phillies acquired right-handed reliever Vinny Nittoli from the Toronto Blue Jays, the team announced. Minor league catcher Karl Ellison will head to the Blue Jays in the deal.

He’s expected to be added to the roster on Thursday, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN. September 1 is the deadline to be added to the 40-man roster in order for a player to be eligible to pitch in the postseason.

The Phillies have an open 40-man roster spot after Bradley Zimmer was designated for assignment on Saturday. Since Nittoli was not on Toronto’s 40-man roster, he was eligible to be traded.

Nittoli, 31, has compiled a 3.30 ERA across 46 1/3 innings with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and Buffalo this season. His only big league appearance came with the Mariners in 2021, where he pitched one inning and allowed two earned runs.

Major league rosters also expand from 26 to 28 players on Sept. 1. Only one of those players can be a pitcher and it appears Nittoli will occupy that spot. Darick Hall could possibly be recalled on Thursday, but he has only one hit (a home run) since he was sent down to Triple A on Aug. 23.

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