Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports that right-hander Nabil Crismatt has been re-signed by the Phillies. A few days ago, the seasoned right-hander chose to opt out of a different minor league contract with the Phillies.
The 30-year-old Crismatt has spent the majority of his minor league career as a reliever, but this season the Phillies have started using him as a starter. Prior to opting out of his contract last week, he made 15 Triple-A starts and pitched 80 1/3 innings with a 3.81 earned run average. He limited walks to a 5.1% pace while striking out just 16.3% of batters he faced. He had an almost average ground ball rate of 39.2%.
Although his performance has been generally solid, the Phillies haven’t needed Nabil Crismatt at the major league level. Their starting rotation ranks among the best in baseball. Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, and Cristopher Sánchez have been mainstays all season. Ranger Suárez, after starting the year on the injured list, has been healthy for more than two months. Aaron Nola is currently sidelined, but Taijuan Walker and Mick Abel have stepped in to fill his role.
Crismatt explored other opportunities but ultimately returned to the Phillies. While staying with a familiar organization offers stability, his path to the majors remains crowded. Even if injuries occur, the Phillies might turn to trade deadline additions or top prospect Andrew Painter, who is currently starting in Triple-A. A bullpen role could be an option, but the team is also expected to reinforce its relief staff at the deadline.
For now, Crismatt will continue pitching for the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs and await his chance. Over five major league seasons, he’s logged 177 innings with a 3.71 ERA, a 21.5% strikeout rate, a 7.2% walk rate, and a 50.3% ground ball rate.