Phillies shuffle roster ahead of doubleheader, Christopher Sanchez to start game two

Before today’s game, the Phillies placed Zach Eflin and Zack Wheeler on the COVID IL. There is no timetable to when they will return, as the COVID IL has no set number of days a player must be out. Eflin was set to start game two of the doubleheader, but Joe Girardi was forced to switch things up.

To correspond with Eflin and Wheeler heading to the IL, the Phillies recalled Francisco Morales and Connor Brogdon from the minor leagues.

Morales has been lights-out with AA Reading, as he converted from a starter to a reliever. He posted a 0.55 ERA so far in 2022, and he has struck 28 batters out.

Brogdon threw well in the minor leagues, but he struggled in the major leagues earlier in the season. He was allowing a lot of hard contact, and he left the ball too far up in the zone.

Christopher Sanchez, the 27th man for the doubleheader, will get the start. Sanchez has allowed 10 runs over six innings of work in 2022. His numbers do not look great, but today’s situation suits him well. He is a young lefty who uses a sinker-slider combo, which is very effective against lefties. Hopefully, this will keep Mets’ left-handers Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, and Dom Smith quiet.

Chris Bassitt will start for the Mets.

Zack Wheeler was scheduled to start in Seattle on Tuesday, but with the two days off thanks to the weather, the Phillies should be able to skip his spot in the rotation and go right to Aaron Nola.