The Philadelphia Phillies have pulled Jackson Rutledge back into the fold. The reliever signed a minor league deal Tuesday, just over a week after the team cut him in a procedural move that wound up being more about MLB’s arcane rules than the pitcher’s actual ability.
Rutledge, a 27-year-old right-hander who stands 6-foot-8, was designated for assignment last week so the Phillies could open a 40-man spot for outfielder Derek Hill. But because Rutledge had gotten hurt while pitching in Triple-A, the team couldn’t just waive him outright. Instead, they had to release him completely. Nobody claimed him during his week on the open market, so now he’s back on a non-roster deal and headed to Lehigh Valley to keep rehabbing.
It’s a small transaction but one with some backstory. Philly originally grabbed Rutledge off waivers from the Washington Nationals in mid-May. He made five innings for the IronPigs before the injury hit, and in those five frames he allowed four earned runs. Before that, he’d made exactly one major league appearance for Washington this season: April 13 against Pittsburgh, when the Pirates hung seven runs on him.
Rutledge was a first-round pick in the 2019 draft, the kind of arm that gets a team excited about potential. He shifted full-time to the bullpen last season after short MLB cameos in 2023 and 2024. Over parts of four big league seasons, all with the Nationals before Philly snagged him, he’s got a 6.29 ERA across 103 innings. His FIP sits at 5.38, and he’s given up 21 homers and 34 walks. Not great numbers, but the raw stuff hasn’t disappeared entirely.
Last year out of Washington’s bullpen, Rutledge finished with a 5.77 ERA over 73 and a third innings. Triple-A has been rough too: a 5.60 ERA across parts of four seasons at that level. The Phillies are betting that maybe a fresh environment and some time to get healthy will unlock something from that first-round arm.
There’s no guarantee he makes it back to Citizens Bank Park this year. But for a team that’s always looking for bullpen depth, bringing back a guy with Rutledge’s pedigree on a nothing-to-lose minor league deal makes sense. He’ll report to Lehigh Valley and try to stay healthy long enough to force the issue.
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