Sep 15, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA;Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Strahm (25) throws against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the eighth inning at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images
LOS ANGELES - In the division clinching game on Monday, one of the unheralded performances belonged to Matt Strahm.
Tasked with protecting a one-run lead, Strahm struck out Freddie Freeman and Alex Call and got Miguel Rojas to hit a can of corn to centerfield for a 1-2-3 inning.
Yes, the Phillies eventually coughed up the lead Strahm was protecting, and promptly took it back to beat the Dodgers and win the East, but for Strahm that inning, and specifically the strikeout of Call meant a lot more.
Like $7.5 million more.
With that Call whiff, Strahm reached 60 innings pitched for the season. That was the plateau he needed to reach to have a vesting option for 2026 triggered. He will now be a part of the Phillies bullpen for another season.
Strahm, 33, hasn't matched his All-Star season of 2024, but he's been the Phillies most consistent reliever from the start of the season til now and is still putting up very good numbers.
For the season he has a 2.83 ERA and a 1.094 WHIP in 60 1/3 innings. If he has a solid final 11 games, he could reach 2.0 WAR for the third straight season - which is a very good number for a non-closing reliever.
Since June 29, he has been even better with a 1.69ERA and a 0.964 WHIP in 29 games.
Matt Strahm’s 2026 option vested at $7.5 million when he reached 60 innings pitched last night.
“He stepped up… good timing, because we needed it,” Rob Thomson told @MattGelb.
(via @AntSanPhilly) pic.twitter.com/UghOZUZOKM
"He's been great," manager Rob Thomson said. "The one thing he does is he gets lefties out, but he gets righties out too."
Kind of simple, but it's an accurate explanation.
This season, Strahm's splits would indicate that everyone has a hard time hitting him, regardless of what side of the batter's box they're standing.
In fact, his numbers are slightly better against righties than lefties.
"It's his ball flight," Thomson said. "He's not going to light up any radar guns, but his ball flight - he gets above barrels, he gets below barrels, he gets a lot of soft contact and he's been really effective. When (Jose) Alvarado he stepped up ... and we needed him."
Matt Strahm secures the strikeout and gets HYPED 😤 pic.twitter.com/Z1BkbYMUBo
While there is often a lot of turnover in bullpens, the Phillies look like they will have some stability there in 2026.
Jhoan Duran will be back to close games and both Orion Kerkering and Tanner Banks are under team control. Strahm makes four bullpen pieces that will be with the club. The Phillies will have a decision on Alvarado, who has a $9 million option.
But that's a good place to start when looking to construct an eight-man bullpen for next season.
On Monday there was a belief that Edmundo Sosa would be back as an option for the Phillies as soon as Tuesday.
Instead, Tuesday brought Sosa an I.L. stint.
After doing a full workout on Monday, Sosa said he could still feel a strain in his groin. Thomson said they wanted to ease off him and put him on the I.L.
Thomson called it a "mild, mild strain" and the Phillies backdated it to Sept. 13, meaning he will only need to miss a week.
To replace him on the active roaster, the Phillies selected the contract of Rafael Lantigua from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. To make room for Lantigua on the 40-man roster, they designated OF Brewer Hicklen for assignment.
Lantigua has very good on-base skills and has an absurdly high walk rate (15.7% of plate appearances). He's mostly a second baseman, but can play the other infield spots.
Although this is the first trip to the majors for Lantigua, it is likely a short one. Thomson reported that Alec Bohm is on track to return to the roster on Friday in Arizona and Trea Turner isn't too far behind him.
Turner took ground balls, threw across the diamond and did a full batting practice in the cage back in Philadelphia on Tuesday. There's growing confidence he will be back before the end of the regular season.
