Jordan Romano’s debut with the Philadelphia Phillies didn’t go as hoped. After earning back-to-back All-Star nods as the Toronto Blue Jays’ closer in 2022 and 2023, Romano joined the Phillies on a one-year, \$8.5 million deal following a 2024 season largely lost to a right elbow injury.
Philadelphia had let go of key relievers Carlos Estévez and 2024 All-Star Jeff Hoffman in free agency—ironically, Hoffman went on to sign a three-year contract with Romano’s former team, the Blue Jays.
Romano was brought in to help fill the void left by those departures, stepping into a high-pressure role in the bullpen. However, his start with the Phillies was rough. He gave up seven earned runs across his first five outings. Although he managed three scoreless innings afterward, he was hit hard on April 19, surrendering six hits and six runs in just two-thirds of an inning, ballooning his ERA to 15.26.
Jordan Romano is making everyone forget about the struggling Jeff Hoffman
Phillies fans were ready to run Jordan Romano out of town after his rough start to the 2025 season. But the veteran reliever is beginning to resemble his former All-Star self, gradually earning back trust as a key piece of the Phillies’ bullpen.
Following the first game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals, Romano has now logged six straight scoreless innings. The 32-year-old was dominant, striking out the side to notch his fourth save of the year and trimming his ERA to 8.22.
“It was a terrible start to the season,” Romano said during a postgame interview with Tom McCarthy and John Kruk. “But I never give up. I keep grinding every day, keep practicing, and good things happen. That’s what I’m doing—just sticking with it and hoping the results follow.”
Since April 23, Romano hasn’t allowed a run and has been impressively efficient. Over his last six innings, he’s surrendered only three hits, issued no walks, and struck out eight. He’s thrown 76 pitches—53 for strikes—and hasn’t topped 15 pitches in any single outing during that stretch.
In contrast, Jeff Hoffman’s hot start with the Blue Jays has taken a sharp downturn. As of May 6, he had a sparkling 1.10 ERA over 16 1/3 innings. But by Wednesday, his ERA had ballooned to 6.05.
Hoffman’s struggles began with back-to-back rough outings against the Los Angeles Angels on May 6 and 7, where he gave up six hits, one walk, and six earned runs in just 2/3 of an inning, including a blown save.
Though he bounced back with two clean appearances against the Mariners, Hoffman was rocked again on Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Rays. In just 1/3 of an inning, he gave up four hits, one walk, and five earned runs—including a grand slam—for his second blown save in a week.
While Hoffman has had a week to forget, Romano has been thriving. The decision to keep Romano instead of Hoffman isn’t looking nearly as questionable as it did just a few weeks ago.