Aug 18, 2025; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Jordan Romano (68) watches a home run during the seventh inning against the Seattle Mariners at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
In the ninth inning of Monday's 12-7 win over the Seattle Mariners, the Phillies let Nolan Hoffman pitch an inning. It was the major league debut for a pitcher the Phillies acquired without much fanfare in a trade for cash with the Texas Rangers in June.
But there were more focused eyes on the sidewinder after what had happened a couple innings earlier.
See, it was just assumed that with Jose Alvarado coming back from his 80-game suspension on Tuesday that Hoffman, who was called up on Monday from Triple-A, was in town for just the day and would be sent right back to Triple-A afterwards.
That still might be the case after Hoffman allowed three runs on three hits and a walk in his one inning of work, despite getting two strikeouts, including getting Major League home run leader Cal Raleigh to end the game.
But it's certainly a debatable question because of what happened two innings earlier.
What happened two innings earlier?
Only this:
Cole Young in 79 plate appearances since The All Star Break: 15 hits, 15 walks, 19.7 BB%, 10.5 K%, 11 RBI, .387 OBP, 123 wRC+
This is your 9 hitter pic.twitter.com/ikZxP4RVuG
That's the ninth home run Jordan Romano has allowed this season in just 41 2/3 innings pitched.
Even worse, Romano, who has been a regular in the Phillies bullpen this season, now has a 7.56 ERA in mid-August.
There's not a role in which he's pitched well. He started the season as the closer. He then was shifted to a setup role. He was tried as a guy to bring in to clean up an inning - the thought being that if you only needed him to get one or two outs as opposed to three, even though there were guys on base, he might be able to navigate through those waters because he still is averaging more than a strikeout per inning.
That didn't work either.
Now, like Monday, he finds himself coming into games protecting a six-run lead - and still letting the other team back in it.
They should let Ranger Suarez and the other starting pitchers beat the shit out of Jordan Romano pic.twitter.com/calss9BAbh
Where can the Phillies go from here?
With Alvarado coming back, there may no longer be a role to try for Romano. You didn't need to see Monday's Romano experience to know that he was a big swing and a miss last offseason by the Phillies front office. He's given them nothing close to value for the $8.5 million they are paying him.
But up until this point, you could always squint and find a spot that made sense for him to stick as one of the eight men out of the bullpen. With Alvarado back, your eyes may finally have to shut completely.
Jhoan Duran is unquestionably the closer. Matt Strahm and Orion Kerkering are your left-right setup combination. For now, Alvarado and David Robertson will serve in the similar role in the sixth and seventh innings, although both could be used later if need be as both have closer experience. Tanner Banks has been an unheralded reliable middle innings arm for the Phillies all season. Joe Ross is the one guy who can give the Phillies some length as a long man. There is one other spot available, and you could technically keep it for Romano, but why not let one of the other arms in the system fill that last spot? It's hard to be worse than what Romano has provided this season.
It's possible it's a money thing, and the Phillies could justify nursing him through two more weeks and then come September 1st, burying him even further once rosters expand and another bullpen arm can be added, and that's fine, but why? What's the commitment other than the money? It's not like Romano has been here for a long time and there's a sense of loyalty. He's on a one-year contract, and he won't be back next season. So, why not cut him loose and give him an opportunity to catch on with a team not in contention to see if he can at least figure something out over the final five weeks to potentially keep his career going somewhere next season?
It's really the more humane thing to do than to let him have to endure the constant negativity that will always pop up whenever he's called upon in Philly.
That's not to say Hoffman is the answer. If he had a quick and clean inning on Monday, it might have been an easier call. Even still, the Phillies have other options down on the farm.
Seth Johnson is eligible to be recalled on Tuesday, so there's one possibility.
They signed Lou Trivino to a minor league deal a couple weeks ago, He has 323 innings of major league experience. He's tossed four scoreless innings down in Triple-A. Yeah, he struggled earlier this season in the Majors with San Francisco and the L.A. Dodgers, but he's also not a guy who you had expectations to be a closer this year who has been torched all season.
They can't recall Max Lazar until Sept. 1 and they can't recall Daniel Robert until Aug. 31 or Alan Rangel until Aug. 24. But there are options. Several of them.
It just seems that one of those options can't be Romano any longer.
