Connor Brogdon designated for assignment by Phillies

Connor Brogdon has been designated for assignment. (John Adams/Icon Sportswire)

Prior to Tuesday evening’s game against the Cincinnati Reds, the Philadelphia Phillies designated Connor Brogdon for assignment. The contract of RHP Ricardo Pinto has been selected, so he’ll join a bullpen that’s been taxed during the team’s first four games.

Brogdon, 29, had a disastrous start to the 2024 season, culminating in giving up the game-winning grand slam to Spencer Steer in the 10th inning of Monday evening’s loss to the Reds. In three appearances early in the season, Brogdon has allowed two home runs and walked six batters.

Once a key contributor to the Phillies bullpen during their 2022 run to the World Series, Brogdon was very forthright Monday evening about the struggles he’s had both mechanically and mentally as he’s tried to correct control issues that have plagued him for the better part of the last calendar year.

Brogdon was out of minor-league options, so the Phillies had to designated him for assignment to clear a spot in a bullpen that will likely need to take down four or five innings in relief of Spencer Turnbull Tuesday. Brogdon will now be exposed to waivers, so all 29 other teams will have the chance to claim him before he could be sent back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Pinto, 30, has previous MLB experience with both the 2017 Phillies and 2019 Tampa Bay Rays. Granted, he has an 8.44 ERA over 27 career MLB appearances, but the Phillies were limited in who they could call up. Any player on the 40-man roster optioned to Triple-A at the outset of the season couldn’t yet be recalled unless it was as an injury replacement.

The Phillies could have selected the contract of another player not on the 40-man roster, such as Andrew Bellatti or José Ruiz, but it’s possible, if not likely, that Pinto will just tide the Phillies over for a week until Orion Kerkering is eligible to return from the injured list. At that point, Pinto will have to be designated to assignment, and he’s much less likely to be claimed than Bellatti or Ruiz would be.