PHILADELPHIA — Walker Buehler threw the final pitch of the 2024 postseason, and now the Phillies will take a flier and see if the veteran right-hander can help them in a pennant race.
The Phillies signed Buehler to a minor-league deal, although they’ve already planned for him to start in the majors on Sept. 12 at Citizens Bank Park. The club wants to adopt a six-man rotation down the stretch to protect its top starters, especially now it is without Zack Wheeler for the remainder of 2025.
Buehler, who was released last week by the Boston Red Sox, is a low-risk ploy. By signing Sunday, and well before noon ET on Sept. 1, he will be eligible for the postseason. Major League Baseball changed its postseason eligibility rules for 2025, bumping back the deadline 12 hours.
When Buehler is promoted to the majors, the Phillies will owe him a pro-rated amount of the major-league minimum salary ($760,000).
“He’s happy with the plan,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said. “We’re happy with the plan. And we’re very excited to have him because we think he makes us better and puts us in a position where we’re trying to do anything we can to qualify for the postseason and then, if we can make it, to do everything we can to win.”
That’s why the Phillies also claimed veteran lefty Tim Mayza off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates; Mayza has not pitched in the majors since April due to a strained shoulder, but he is adept against lefty batters. The Phillies know they will not have José Alvarado in October because the terms of his drug suspension prevent him from participating in the postseason. So, Mayza could become the third lefty behind Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks.
Mayza will join the Phillies on Monday, as will catcher Garrett Stubbs. Rosters expand to 28 players; the Phillies can swap guys in and out if needed. For now, this is how they’ll do it.
There are reasons to doubt whether Buehler can contribute in a meaningful way. He logged a 5.45 ERA with 22 homers allowed in 112 1/3 innings with the Red Sox this season. His strikeout rate (16.5 percent) was the lowest of his career and his walk rate (10.8 percent) was the highest. Boston had seen enough and released Buehler last week.
But the 31-year-old starter comes with extensive postseason experience. He finished Game 5 of the 2024 World Series to clinch a title for the Los Angeles Dodgers. He had started Game 3 and pitched five scoreless innings. Buehler had similar regular-season struggles in 2024; he carried a 5.38 ERA into the playoffs and rebounded when the Dodgers needed him most.
The Phillies have signed free agent right-handed pitcher Walker Buehler to a minor league contract and assigned him to triple-A Lehigh Valley. pic.twitter.com/wSNN8b5Fwr
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 31, 2025
Buehler met on Zoom with numerous Phillies officials, including Dombrowski, manager Rob Thomson and pitching coach Caleb Cotham. There is a shared connection; Buehler and Cotham are Vanderbilt alums. Buehler is getting paid by Boston regardless, so the two sides worked out a minor-league agreement that prevents Buehler from having to spend a required 15 days in the minors on an optional assignment.
This way, Buehler can make one start at Triple A (scheduled for Saturday), then come to the majors for that Sept. 12 start against the Kansas City Royals.
“This year hasn’t been as good for him as some other years, but we still like a lot of his stuff,” Dombrowski said. “We think we see some things that can hopefully help him. He’s willing to work with us.”
Buehler has a 3.04 ERA in 19 career postseason games (94 2/3 innings). Those 15 innings last October were enough to interest teams over the winter when Buehler was a free agent. He signed a one-year deal worth $21.05 million with the Red Sox.
He could be bumped to the bullpen after a start or two, depending on the situation. But Cristopher Sánchez is on pace for a career high in innings. Jesús Luzardo could go past his previous high, and Ranger Suárez’s durability is always on the team’s mind.
So, they went with Buehler over any internal option, including top prospect Andrew Painter, who has struggled at Triple A. Whether Buehler pitches his way into an October role as a reliever is something the Phillies will contemplate later.
“Let’s see how we’re performing, how everybody’s throwing the ball at that time,” Dombrowski said. “Right now, our starters, they feel good. They feel fine. Of course, (Aaron) Nola hasn’t pitched many innings. But we just want to be careful because you have a chance to get tired down the stretch. It’s worked for us to go to the six starters, and we think he’s a pretty good sixth starter.”
One of his better starts of the season came against the Phillies on July 21. Buehler allowed one run in seven innings. He posted a 4.61 ERA over his next six outings. including one bullpen appearance.
It’s possible Mayza, 33, has more of an October role than Buehler, as he filled a lefty specialist role last October for the New York Yankees. Mayza was up to 95 mph in his final minor-league rehab outing two days ago. He has a career .573 OPS against lefties.
There was a time when the Phillies envisioned sliding Luzardo or Suárez into the bullpen come October. But, with Wheeler out, both might need to start playoff games. So, Mayza could be someone for the middle of a game to face a lefty.
After serving as the team’s backup catcher from 2022-24, Stubbs has spent the entire season at Triple A. He’ll have a hand in the team’s pregame planning with that night’s starting pitcher. He is a popular figure inside the clubhouse, which factored into things.
“He’s been a winner,” Dombrowski said. “He’s done a great job for us at Triple A, not only on the field, but in the clubhouse. So we thought it was a very well-deserved promotion, too.”
(Photo: Luke Hales / Getty Images)