Darick Hall, Andrew Bellatti both pushing for MLB returns

Andrew Bellatti has been excellent in Triple-A. (Cheryl Pursell)

Andrew Bellatti didn’t look right early this season.

After pitching in high volume out of the Phillies bullpen in April and struggling near the end of the month, the right-hander hit the injured list with a triceps injury. Upon his return, Bellatti allowed a run in two of his four appearances. He wasn’t pitching like the reliever who broke out in his first season in Philadelphia in 2022 and took down big spots during a surprise run to the World Series.

So, the Phillies sent Bellatti down to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. And a month later, the 31-year-old appears to be back on track.

Since his demotion on May 23, Bellatti has posted a 1.64 ERA in 11 outings with the IronPigs. He’s striking out 10.6 batters per nine innings and has not surrendered a single walk.

Bellatti has only turned it up since the start of June, throwing a scoreless inning apiece in all eight of his outings this month.

Although he had a 5.68 ERA in 15 games for the Phillies this season, Bellatti’s improvement during his time in Lehigh Valley is a great sign for a team that is short on right-handed relief pitching at the moment. If he’s back to the form that saw him pitch to a 3.31 ERA last regular season and allow just one run in eight playoff appearances, Bellatti could be an upgrade for a Phillies team that is missing Seranthony Domínguez due to injury and also had to send Connor Brogdon down to Triple-A due to ineffectiveness.

Bellatti could be swapped on Philadelphia’s roster with righty Dylan Covey, who was claimed off waivers in May to help the rotation and provide length in bullpen games. But with a 7.50 ERA with the Phillies, Covey has mainly been relegated to mop-up duties, seldom used in spots of consequence.

Bellatti offers upside in a way that Covey never could, which the Phillies need at the moment. Beyond closer Craig Kimbrel, there’s no current right-handed option the team can confidently rely on to handle the middle innings and set-up opportunities. Bellatti proved himself capable of that last year, and — if his minor-league performance is any indicator — there’s reason to believe he can do it again.

Darick Hall is back and hitting

The timing was rough for first baseman Darick Hall.

When Rhys Hoskins went down with a torn ACL in spring training, it became clear that Hall would have a chance to play a lot to start the season. But in just the second series of the year, the 27-year-old power hitter sprained his thumb trying to stretch a single into a double, landing him on the IL.

With Bryce Harper back at DH and no clear opening for Hall, he was optioned to Lehigh Valley when he came off the IL on June 19. And between his prior rehab assignment and his time since, Hall has been crushing at the plate for the IronPigs.

In 18 Triple-A games, Hall is batting .309/.402/.500 with two home runs, five doubles and a triple. Meanwhile, fellow left-handed-hitter Kody Clemens — who has seen a majority of the time at first base for the Phillies — has cooled off significantly.

With a .432 OPS in June, Clemens’ season OPS is down to .645 in 43 games. The Phillies need more out of that first-base spot, and Hall’s ability to hit for power is known. Perhaps another opportunity could be on the way for “Long Ball” Hall.