By admin 
The Philadelphia Phillies are set to make another roster move prior to the start of their series against the Kansas City Royals.
Read more How Dodgers’ Max Muncy, vying for his third All-Star selection, continues to evolve
On Thursday, the team announced that they have optioned right-handed starter Alan Rangel to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. This was seen as a head-scratching decision for the team to make.
After top prospect Andrew Painter struggled in the major leagues, Rangel was brought up to fill in the fifth rotation spot. He preformed well in this spot while mostly coming in following an opener.
In four games, the 28-year-old pitched to a 3.38 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 16 innings. The Phillies sent him back down after a four shutout innings start against the Pirates.
The fifth spot in the rotation will come around one more time before the All-Star break for Philadelphia, with them seemingly going with a bullpen game.
As a corresponding move to Rangel’s demotion, the Phillies have called up left-handed reliever Tanner Banks.
Phillies will recall lefty Tanner Banks to add to the bullpen mix this weekend, a source said. They are off Friday because of soccer in Kansas City. https://t.co/pTUYRKA4VO
Read more Fans Convinced Refs Rigged Croatia-Portugal After Controversial Finish
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) July 3, 2026
Banks was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley a couple weeks ago following a rough start to his 2026 season. In 26 games thus far, the 34-year-old has pitched to a 5.86 ERA with 31 strikeouts and four losses in 27 2/3 innings.
Banks was a huge part of the Phillies bullpen in 2025, where he broke out as a trusted back-end option. In his career year, he posted a 3.07 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 67 1/3 innings.
While his demotion was likely to help gain his confidence back, it might have made things worse, as he put up an ERA north of six and was tagged for a loss.
It is an interesting move on the Phillies part to both send down Rangel and bring up Banks. As of late, the Phillies bullpen has struggled heavily.
This became even more apparent during Thursday’s game against the Pirates, where the bullpen gave up six runs in the final five innings of the game.
The Phillies have an off day on Friday and are hoping the rest can get their relievers back to form. The All-Star Break will be a huge relief for them.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published July 3, 2026 at 7:38 AM.