The Phillies have trimmed their active spring training roster by one more pitcher on, sending 24-year-old prospect to Double-A Reading.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander, spent most of last season with High-A Jersey Shore, posting a 4.72 ERA over 74⅓ innings. He limited hits and home runs but issued 40 walks.
Hot Streak Last Summer
He caught fire last summer, tossing 15 consecutive scoreless innings over three starts for High-A Jersey Shore, striking out 19 while allowing just three hits and walks. Between late June and late August, he posted a 1.13 ERA for the BlueClaws in six starts and six relief appearances before finishing the season at Double-A.
Future Flamethrowing Reliever?
The Phillies added Alex McFarlane to their 40-man roster in December, the same day they selected the contracts of Andrew Painter and Gabriel Rincones Jr., protecting all three from the Rule 5 draft. Painter will begin the season in the Phillies’ rotation. Rincones, who could have competed for the final bench spot, has been sidelined all spring due to lingering knee soreness/tendinitis but could still contribute in 2026 if he gets healthy.
McFarlane is considered further away than the other two. The Phillies could give him another chance to start at Double-A this season, but they may lean toward seeing how he performs in relief. He reached 100 mph three times on Sunday, as he had late last season in relief. His final 10 appearances of 2025 came from the bullpen, including his last four with Double-A Reading in September.
Drafted by Phillies in 2022
Drafted in the fourth round in 2022 out of the University of Miami, McFarlane was the Phillies’ third selection that year, after Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones, because the team had forfeited its second-round pick to sign Nick Castellanos. MLB Pipeline ranked him as the Phillies’ 19th-best prospect last week. The Phillies’ first four 2022 picks were Crawford, Rincones, McFarlane, and Orion Kerkering. They also signed Otto Kemp as an undrafted free agent.
First Cuts of Spring
The Phillies began their spring cuts over the weekend and likely would have trimmed more if not for 11 players in the World Baseball Classic. Several—Edmundo Sosa (Panama), Garrett Stubbs, and Max Lazar (Israel)—are expected back within 48–72 hours after their teams were eliminated Monday.
The first players optioned to minor-league camp Saturday were Rincones (AAA) and right-handers Jean Cabrera (AAA), Yoniel Curet (AA), and Moises Chace (AA). The Phillies currently have 60 players on their active spring roster, or 49 excluding those in the WBC.
The roster was especially thin over the last two days in Fort Myers, where they stayed overnight to face the Red Sox Monday after playing the Twins Sunday. Depth starters Alan Rangel and Bryse Wilson got the ball in those games.
Facing one of baseball’s best, Red Sox lefty Garrett Crochet, the Phillies managed three runs on five hits in 4⅔ innings, including a single up the middle by left-handed-hitting Brandon Marsh.