WASHINGTON -- As the Phillies look to fill the void in their rotation without Andrew Painter, righty Alan Rangel will be given the opportunity to claim the spot.
The Phillies recalled Rangel from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday for his second big league stint this season, pitching three innings in relief with five strikeouts on April 22 against the Cubs. Interim manager Don Mattingly said ahead of Monday’s series opener against the Nationals that Rangel will get an extended look with this promotion.
“I think the fact that Rangel has been the guy throwing the best down there,” Mattingly said, “he was going to be the best guy long term for us.”
Rangel made 14 appearances (11 starts) with Lehigh Valley this season, and had a 3.99 ERA across 70 innings.
Although lefty Tim Mayza was scheduled as an opener in Washington, Rangel was set to be the bulk reliever and will seemingly have a chance to pitch every fifth day in some capacity.
“At this point, we’ve kind of made a commitment to that spot,” Mattingly said. “I’m not saying we’re making a commitment to a full start every time -- it could be an opener, it could be starting.”
But at the very least, the 28-year-old, who has spent parts of 12 seasons in the Minors, will get his shot.
“We’ll see what he can do,” Mattingly said. “He’s been throwing the ball well. The last time he came up, we felt like he threw the ball well. So, we’ll see what it looks like.”