Phillies Shake up Bullpen Demoting Chase Shugart in Favor of Veteran

A new veteran is being added to the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen.Kenneth Teape|

Jun 23, 2026; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Chase Shugart (55) throws to the Washington Nationals during the ninth inning at Nationals Park. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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The Philadelphia Phillies have been shaking up their bullpen throughout the 2026 MLB season, looking for the right combination of players to bridge the gap to closer Jhoan Duran.

Right-handed reliever Orion Kerkering has been excellent, but with Brad Keller sidelined because of an injury, it has been a bit of a revolving door for the middle relief recently. And now, the team is looking for a spark once again.

Right-handed reliever Chase Shugart is being demoted to Triple-A Lehigh Valley after back-to-back brutal outings against the Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets. Taking his place in the bullpen will be veteran Lou Trivino.

As shared by Todd Zolecki of MLB.com on X, the Phillies have purchased the contract of the veteran righty from Triple-A to join the Big League club. This is his second stint in Philadelphia after making 10 appearances for the team in 2025.

Phillies send Chase Shugart to Triple-A, purchase Lou Trivino's contract

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Lou Trivino (22) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals. — Feb 22, 2026; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Lou Trivino (22) delivers a pitch against the Washington Nationals during the third inning at CACTI Park of the Palm Beaches. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Trivino was great when his number was called last year for the Phillies. He threw nine innings with a 2.00 ERA, striking out eight batters. A 230 ERA+ and 3.36 FIP were produced along with 0.3 bWAR in such a short period of time.

The 2025 campaign was the first time that Trivino pitched in the Major Leagues since 2023. He actually began the 2026 season with Philadelphia but was released and signed by the Baltimore Orioles on May 4.

Trivino made two appearances, giving up six earned runs in three innings, and was granted free agency on May 12. Four days later, he was signed by the Phillies again, and now he is set to join the Big League club.

He certainly earned the promotion to the Big Leagues with how well he performed with Lehigh Valley. In 22 appearances and 28.1 innings of work, Trivino had a 1.27 ERA and 34 strikeouts, certainly looking like someone who can help stabilize a bullpen that has been, at times, overworked.

The Phillies selected the contract of RHP Lou Trivino from Triple-A. Chase Shugart was optioned to Lehigh Valley.
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) June 30, 2026

There will certainly be work for Trivino right away. Shugart was someone that interim manager Don Mattingly was going to with some regularity, but he struggled recently, looking to possibly be running on fumes.

He has given up three runs in back-to-back outings against the Pirates and Mets. That gives him three appearances in June alone, during which three runs have been scored against him, which spiked his ERA to 4.97.

Before the recent struggles, he had a 2.21 ERA through his first 16 appearances in 2026.

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Published 46 minutes ago

KENNETH TEAPE

Kenneth Teape is an alumnus of SUNY Old Westbury and graduated in 2013 with an Honors Degree in Media Communications with a focus on print journalism. During his time at Old Westbury, he worked for the school newspaper and several online publications, such as Knicks Now, the official website of the New York Knicks, and a self-made website with fellow students, Gotham City Sports News. Kenneth has also been a site expert at Empire Writes Back, Musket Fire, and Lake Show Life within the FanSided Network. He was a contributor to HoopsHabit, with work featured on Bleacher Report and Yardbarker. In addition to his work here, he is a reporter for both NBA Analysis Network and NFL Analysis Network, as well as a writer and editor for Packers Coverage. You can follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @teapester725, or reach him via email at [email protected].

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