Joe

Ross

The Phillies haven’t asked for anything more than two innings at a time from Ross this spring, suggesting he’ll remain in middle relief if Ranger Suárez is forced to the IL. Taijuan Walker appears to be the team’s sixth starter right now. It might be for the best; Ross’s stuff hasn’t been up to par this spring, and while he’s managed a 3.12 ERA anyway, he’s fanned only four in 8 2/3 innings. He didn’t get a single missed swing today.

Ross was signed to fill Spencer Turnbull’s role on the Phillies staff, with the plan for him to open in middle relief and potentially start if needed. His velocity was down some from last year today, and he gave up three hits. He also walked one and hit a batter.

Dombrowski added that Painter, who looked extremely impressive in the Arizona Fall League, will throw in spring training, but will not pitch in Grapefruit League exhibition contests. The Phillies swung a trade for Jesús Luzardo and also signed swingman Joe Ross to fortify their starting rotation mix with the goal of having Painter built up enough from a workload standpoint to be ready to make an impact in the second half of next year. The 21-year-old top pitching prospect is expected to make an instant impact for fantasy managers once he arrives in the majors.

The deal is now official. Ross heads to Philadelphia to fill a versatile swingman-type role in addition to providing additional starting pitching depth behind fifth starters Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker. The 31-year-old righty posted a respectable 3.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 66/29 K/BB ratio across 74 innings (25 appearances, 10 starts) last year for the Brewers in his return from Tommy John surgery. There isn’t a ton of intrigue for fantasy purposes, but Ross figures to gobble up plenty of frames next year for the Phillies as a relief weapon.

Ross provides the Phillies with a capable swingman and insurance policy behind Jesús Luzardo and Taijuan Walker at the back-end of their rotation mix. The 31-year-old righty posted a respectable 3.77 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 66/29 K/BB ratio across 74 innings (25 appearances, 10 starts) last year for the Brewers in his return from Tommy John surgery.

Ross allowed just one base runner through the first two innings, but the third inning was a bit more problematic. After striking out Ramon Laureano to start the frame, he then allowed four straight hits and a walk to Matt Olson, followed by another hit to Eddie Rosario. The Braves quickly found themselves up 4-0, while Ross found himself with 61 pitches thrown through three innings. Ross would then allow a solo homer to Jarred Kelenic in the fourth inning. It wasn’t the return Ross hoped for when the Brewers removed him from the 60-day IL. His next start is scheduled for Tuesday against the Braves.

Ross will make his first start in the big leagues on Tuesday night against the Braves since May 20. The 31-year-old righty has been on the shelf for the last two months recovering from a back strain.

Ross was aiming for a quick return after going on the IL on May 21, but a setback suffered a couple of weeks ago means he’s now out through late July.

Based on how he was progressing, Ross was expected to begin a brief rehab assignment right about now and probably return next week. Since that’s not happening, it increases the chances that Carlos Rodriguez will stick around beyond his major league debut Tuesday.

Ross departed Monday’s start against the Marlins with a lower back strain and winds up requiring a trip to the injured list. The hope is that he’ll only wind up missing a couple weeks. It’s Tobias Myers who has been brought up from Triple-A Nashville to take his spot on Milwaukee’s roster. The 31-year-old righty holds a respectable 4.50 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 35/16 K/BB ratio across 42 innings (nine starts) this season in his Brewers debut.