The Philadelphia Phillies moved quickly after a stunning bullpen meltdown vs. the Chicago Cubs Monday night, promoting right-hander Chase Shugart from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Tuesday, the club announced. The move came one day after Phillies relievers surrendered five runs in the eighth inning against Chicago despite inheriting a 12-2 lead â a collapse that was both embarrassing and revealing, even in a game the Phillies ultimately won, 13-7.
The primary culprit was right-hander Seth Johnson, recalled Monday when Jonathan Bowlan was placed on the 15-day injured list with a groin strain, per Tom Dougherty of CBS Philadelphia. Johnson burned 50 pitches over just 1 2/3 innings and was promptly optioned back to Triple-A the next morning. In came Shugart, a 29-year-old righty who has quietly built a brief but credible big league track record.
The collapse forced an immediate response, and put fresh pressure on a bullpen that suddenly looks far less stable than expected.
Chase Shugart’s Journey: From Fenway to Phillies Bullpen
Shugart’s path to Philadelphia is the kind of story that doesn’t generate headlines until suddenly it does. Drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 12th round of the 2018 MLB Draft out of the University of Texas, Shugart spent six years grinding through Boston’s minor league system. He finally made his major league debut on August 15, 2024, with the Red Sox at Baltimore.
After Boston, Shugart landed in Pittsburgh, as the result of a January trade in 2025. The Pirates traded him to Philadelphia in January for minor league infielder Francisco Loreto, Paul Casella reported for MLB.com. In his one season with Pittsburgh, he posted a 3.40 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP across 35 appearances. During spring training with the Phillies, he made eight appearances and held opposing hitters to a .222 average.
His 2026 Triple-A numbers are even more encouraging. Shugart has a 1.80 ERA in five appearances with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season, according to Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. He works off a five-pitch mix led by a sweeper and cutter, and his four-seam fastball averaged 95.4 mph last season, per Statcast data cited by CBS Philadelphia. That pitch diversity and command is exactly what a bullpen stretched thin by injuries needs in April.
Slow Start, Still Alive: Phillies’ 8-8 Record in Perspective
For a team built for October, Philadelphia’s 8-8 start is not what the front office had in mind. A bullpen that surrenders a five-run eighth with a ten-run cushion is not a recipe for postseason baseball. But the situation is far from dire.
The Phillies remain just 1 1/2 games out of first place in the National League East heading into Tuesday’s second game against the Cubs, trailing the Atlanta Braves. With a lineup featuring Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto, and a rotation anchored by Aaron Nola, being a game and a half back in mid-April is not exactly a crisis.
The Phillies know that roster management in April pays dividends in September. Swapping out Johnson for Shugart is the quiet, corrective move that contenders make without drama. As Emma Lingan wrote on That Ball’s Outta Here, Shugart offers lower volatility and a better command profile in low-leverage situations. Whether he sticks long-term depends on his performance. But in mid-April, the Phillies just need someone who can get outs quietly and hand the game off cleanly. That may be Shugart’s best skill of all.
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