May 20, 2026
Peter Aiken/Imagn Images
Ranger Suárez has been his regular dynamic self with his new team in Boston this season.
As the Phillies continue to turn things around, having reversed their 9-19 start as they now sit above .500 fighting for a Wild Card position, it looks like some of their more controversial roster decisions are starting to pan out.
Rookie starter Andrew Painter is fresh off his best start as a pro, Alec Bohm has found his bat again after a brutal early season slump, and Zack Wheeler looks like a Cy Young candidate again.
But Adolis García hasn't been consistent in right field and the middle of the bullpen has been shaky more often than not. Did the Phillies get it right with their decisions in the outfield (with García, as well as rookie Justin Crawford)? Did they rightly choose to move on from some pitchers that were big pieces to the 96-win squad in 2025?
Here's a quick look at how some recent former Phillies are playing right now with their new teams:
Ranger Suárez, Red Sox
Phillies starting pitching has been really solid this season, with two Cy Young-caliber arms (Zack Wheeler and Cris Sánchez), a great No. 3 (Jesús Luzardo), an up and comer who looked great Tuesday night (Andrew Painter) and a veteran who is still struggling a bit (Aaron Nola). That five could pan out as the best rotation in baseball. Would it better if they somehow had Suárez still? No doubt. But the numbers didn't work and the Phils probably won't miss him much.
The Red Sox are happy to have Suárez, who is 2-2 with a 2.40 ERA this season in nine starts. Two starts ago he shut out his former team for 5.1 innings, striking out eight of his old Phillies teammates in a game the Phils would eventually win late.
Nick Castellanos, Padres
Through 31 games in San Diego, Castellanos is hitting .198 with a -0.9 WAR. He has struck out 29 times but walked just four. He's one of the worst metric-rated first baseman and outfielders in all of baseball. Enough said here.
Harrison Bader, Giants
Bader has been worse than Casty, at least offensively this season. After injecting the Phillies with some much-needed right handed hitting last fall, Bader has fallen off a proverbial cliff with his bat this season in San Francisco. He's hitting just .160, with 24 strikeouts to just three walks. And that includes a grand slam he hit on Sunday.
Joe Ross, Diamondbacks (minors)
From bad to even worse, Ross was DFA'ed after allowing eight runs in 3.2 innings for the Diamondbacks. He is currently playing in the minors.
Jordan Romano, Rockies (minors)
In the weeks since we last took a look at these former Phillies, Romano got himself released from the Angels with a 10.13 ERA over eight innings, and later signed to a minor league deal with Colorado.
Mick Abel, Twins
The former Phillies first-rounder landed on the Twins' injured list with an inflamed right elbow last month. Prior to the injury he had been pitching well — even spectacularly to lower his inflated ERA to 3.98. His last two starts were scoreless, with his April 14 gem containing 10 strikeouts. Minnesota might have something in Abel as he continues to improve.
Walker Buehler, Padres
The briefly tenured Phillies starter is probably the exact kind of depth arm the team wishes it had right now. With Nola pitching badly of late, there really isn't a swing man/6th starter in the organization right now. Buehler is pitching well, but not spectacularly in San Diego, where he has a 5.01 ERA over nine starts. His last two starts were very good, allowing two runs in each through five and six innings respectively.
Weston Wilson, Orioles
Wilson has found a home in Baltimore, where he's played impressively, mostly at third base, hitting .290 since his call up on April 15. He's making his opportunities count, with four hits over his last three games — but he's only played three times over the last nine days.
Taijuan Walker
The Phillies' $18 million man is currently still a free agent after the Phils cut ties with him a few weeks ago. In five appearances with them this season he had a 9.13 ERA.
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