PHILADELPHIA — Tanner Banks wore street clothes — a T-shirt and a black hat — as he went around the home clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park on Thursday afternoon, dapped up teammates and said goodbye for now.
The day after the club demoted rookie starter Andrew Painter, Banks was also optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Painter’s two-inning, six-run outing against the Marlins on Wednesday forced the Phillies to use six relievers (seven if you count the one out recorded by Garrett Stubbs). Banks allowed four runs (one earned) and two home runs.
The Phillies have had to alter their roster and their pitching plans. With Banks’ ERA at 5.96 and a need for fresh relievers in Philadelphia, the team made a swap.
“l’ll tell you what I told them: You go through stretches where you don’t play well and you can kind of see the writing on the wall at times, especially when there’s super limited arms with any type of control in the bullpen,” Banks said. “But also understanding I’ve got to be better, so having an opportunity to go down there and kind of refine some things and work on some things and get back to what’s gotten me to this point.”
Banks admitted that it “sucks” to be sent down. He’d been on the big-league roster since he was traded to Philadelphia at the 2024 deadline, and he was one of the club’s go-to lefty relievers last year. But he has not pitched well this season; he’ll have an opportunity to work on his craft with the IronPigs.
“You can look at it one of two ways,” Banks said, borrowing a mindset of saying “good” in response to adversity from a viral clip of former Navy SEAL Jocko Willink. “You can either say, ‘Woe is me,’ or you can grind it out and make the most of it and be a better version of yourself from it.”
With Painter and Banks sent down, the Phillies promoted right-handers Seth Johnson and Bryse Wilson, and both pitched in Thursday’s 6-4 loss in the opener of a three-game series against the Mets. After veteran Aaron Nola, who’s struggled to go deep into starts this year, gutted out five innings, Johnson entered for the top of the sixth in a tie game.
The 27-year-old tossed a shutout inning. He has not been able to stick in the majors so far in his career, but, as interim manager Don Mattingly put it, Johnson has been “one of the best relievers in Triple-A baseball” in 2026. It certainly wouldn’t hurt to have another capable bullpen arm in the mix if he can handle it.
In the seventh, José Alvarado gave up three runs, highlighting Philadelphia’s shortage of reliable left-handed relievers. Tim Mayza has had a solid showing after re-signing with the Phillies on a minor-league contract before the season. But it’s been thin without Alvarado and Banks contributing. Lefty Kyle Backhus is currently on a rehab assignment and could come off the injured list relatively shortly.
Wilson followed Alvarado and threw two scoreless innings. He started at Triple-A, but the Phillies said he’d be available out of the bullpen to start his Phillies tenure and go from there. He’s been a swingman at the big-league level before, and he said he’s comfortable as a starter or reliever.
“We have a guy that can protect us in the bullpen,” Mattingly said of Wilson.
But Wilson, who had a 6.29 ERA with the IronPigs but put together three scoreless starts in a row before the Phillies purchased his contract, could be an option to fill the vacant rotation spot left by Painter. The club has an off day on Friday, but Mattingly said the Phillies haven’t talked about adjusting the rotation. That would mean the Phillies will need to choose a starter for Tuesday’s game in Washington.
Wilson could be the man for the job, as long as he doesn’t throw out of the bullpen in the meantime. Right-hander Alan Rangel could be another candidate; he’s been up with the Phillies as a long man before and has a 3.99 ERA with the IronPigs. The team could also potentially try a bullpen game on Tuesday depending on how things shake out, but it’s not Mattingly’s preference.
“For me, it’s not the best scenario,” he said.
There’s no perfect choice, as the Phillies were relying on the former top prospect Painter to step in as the fifth starter. As president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski noted, the 23-year-old could come back later. But Philadelphia still needs a solution behind their top-end starters for right now.
Dombrowski said that the Phillies’ current issue is not particularly unique and that most clubs he’s spoken with are also searching for rotation depth. He’s confident in Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo to carry the load. But the team will still need to figure out how it will handle the situation with its depth on hand.
“I kind of consider it part of a baseball season,” Dombrowski said. “You go kind of go through this every season that I’ve ever been through it. So I don’t think there’s anything unusual in that regard.”
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