PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies demoted rookie right-hander Mick Abel, who has struggled since he struck out nine in his major league debut, to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The Phillies also recalled reliever Seth Johnson from Lehigh Valley ahead of Friday’s game against Cincinnati.
The 23-year-old Abel made six starts for the Phillies and went 2-2 with 5.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts and nine walks.
“Mick needed to go down and breathe a little bit,” manager Rob Thomson said. “Just get a little reset. It’s not uncommon.”
A 6-foot-5 right-hander selected 15th overall by the Phillies in the 2020 amateur draft, Abel dazzled against Pittsburgh in May when his nine strikeouts tied a Phillies high for a debut, set by Curt Simmons against the New York Giants on Sept. 28, 1947.
He hasn’t pitched beyond the fifth inning in any of his last four starts and was rocked for five runs in 1 2/3 innings on Wednesday against San Diego.
Abel was 3-12 with a 6.46 ERA last year for Lehigh Valley, walking 78 in 108 2/3 innings. He improved to 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA in eight minor league starts this year, walking 19 in 46 1/3 innings.
“This guy’s had a really good year,” Thomson said. “His poise, his composure is outstanding. He’s really grown. We just need to get back to that. Just attack the zone and get through adversity.”
The Phillies will give Taijuan Walker another start in Abel’s place against San Francisco. Walker has bounced between the rotation and the bullpen over the last two seasons. He has made eight starts with 11 relief appearances this season and is 3-5 with one save and a 3.64 ERA.
Thomson said he had not made a final decision on who will be the fifth starter after the All-Star break. Top prospect Andrew Painter has two more scheduled starts in Triple-A before the MLB All-Star break and could earn a spot in the rotation.
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