The Miami Marlins have leaned on Tyler Phillips in more ways than one, and that’s exactly why the front office has a decision to make.
Miami has somehow kept its pitching afloat through injuries, with Sandy Alcantara, Eury Perez, Max Meyer and catcher Joe Mack all playing major roles in making the whole thing work. But Phillips has been right there in the middle of it, maybe even more important than anyone else. He has taken the leap from bulk reliever to starter and handled it like a guy the staff can hand almost anything to.
That versatility is also the problem now.
The Marlins need to replace Phillips, and they need to do it soon. Not because of what happened last Sunday afternoon on short rest - that loss had plenty of moving parts - but because his workload is climbing fast.
If he gets into the third inning of his next start, he’ll already have surpassed his total innings from the entire 2025 season. For a team already stretched thin on the mound, that kind of jump is a warning sign.
Miami has already shown what this strain looks like. Perez was pulled early from a bid for perfection, and Meyer had his start pushed back and skipped the All-Star Game. The Marlins are managing innings wherever they can, because they have to.
Phillips sits at the center of that balancing act. The team already pulled him out of the bullpen and into the rotation, and that move has been a huge part of keeping the staff intact.
But the Marlins also can’t afford to wear him down. They can’t afford to lose him, and really, they can’t afford to lose him again.
That’s because they already did lose him once, in a sense - taking one of their best bullpen weapons and turning him into a starter. Other relievers have stepped up, but with Anthony Bender out and Peter Fairbanks continuing to be as consistent as the South Florida weather, the bullpen could use help.
The rotation needs it too. If Miami reaches the playoffs, Alcantara, Perez and Meyer may be enough to start games there.
Getting to that point is another matter.
So the real question is what Phillips should be for the rest of the season. If he stays in the rotation, he could be pushing past his career high before September.
If the Marlins move him back to relief, or even keep him in more of an opener-type role, they may have a better chance of keeping his arm available all year. But that would leave Miami shopping for starting pitching, probably more than once.
However it shakes out, the Marlins need a Phillips replacement. They also need some preventative maintenance for the pitcher who has become one of their most valuable and most flexible pieces. The only thing left to figure out is which Phillips they’re replacing - the starter or the reliever.
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Miami is still handling him carefully after his injured-list stint, but the bigger picture is easy to see. If Prez keeps trending this way, he could become the kind of third or fourth starter who changes the feel of a short postseason series, especially with the way his arsenal is coming together and his confidence is building at just the right time. [Read more 🡒]