The Philadelphia Phillies continued shaping their roster ahead of Opening Day by making another spring training cut.
Alex McFarlane ended last season in the bullpen with Double-A Reading. | Morgan Tencza-Imagn Images
On Monday, the team optioned 24-year-old pitching prospect Alex McFarlane to Double-A Reading, trimming the active spring roster by one more arm as camp moves closer to its final stages.
McFarlane’s development continues
McFarlane, a 6-foot-3 right-handed pitcher, spent most of the 2025 season with High-A Jersey Shore. Across 74⅓ innings, he posted a 4.72 ERA, showing the ability to limit hits and home runs but struggling at times with control after issuing 40 walks.
Despite those challenges, McFarlane displayed flashes of significant potential during the season.
One of his strongest stretches came last summer when he threw 15 consecutive scoreless innings across three starts, striking out 19 batters while allowing just three hits and walks combined.
Between late June and late August, he recorded a 1.13 ERA over a two-month span while pitching both as a starter and a reliever for the BlueClaws.
Possible bullpen future
While McFarlane has primarily developed as a starter, the Phillies may eventually see him fitting into a bullpen role.
The hard-throwing prospect demonstrated that potential late last season. His final 10 appearances in 2025 came out of the bullpen, including four outings for Double-A Reading in September.
His velocity has been particularly eye-catching. During a recent spring outing, McFarlane reached 100 mph three times, a sign that his power arm could translate well to relief work.
Protected on the 40-man roster
The Phillies clearly value McFarlane’s upside.
In December, the organization added him to the 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, doing so on the same day they selected the contracts of Andrew Painter and Gabriel Rincones Jr.
Painter is expected to begin the season in the Phillies’ major league rotation, while Rincones entered camp as a candidate for a bench role before being sidelined by knee tendinitis.
McFarlane remains further away from the majors than either of those players, but the Phillies still see him as an intriguing piece of their pitching pipeline.
Draft class showing promise
The Phillies selected McFarlane in the fourth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of the University of Miami.
He was the team’s third selection that year, as Philadelphia forfeited its second-round pick after signing Nick Castellanos following the 2021 season.
That draft class has already produced several notable prospects. The Phillies’ first four selections were:
- Justin Crawford
- Gabriel Rincones Jr.
- Alex McFarlane
- Orion Kerkering
The team also added Otto Kemp as an undrafted free agent, another player who has worked his way into the organization’s prospect conversation.
Phillies roster cuts underway
Philadelphia began making roster reductions over the weekend and will continue doing so throughout March.
The process has been slightly delayed due to 11 Phillies players participating in the World Baseball Classic. Some of those players — including Edmundo Sosa, Garrett Stubbs, and Max Lazar — are expected to return to camp soon after their teams were eliminated.
Earlier roster moves included optioning:
- Gabriel Rincones Jr. (Triple-A)
- Jean Cabrera (Triple-A)
- Yoniel Curet (Double-A)
- Moises Chace (Double-A)
Following McFarlane’s reassignment, the Phillies now have 60 players remaining in spring training camp, or 49 players excluding those currently participating in the World Baseball Classic.
Final roster decisions approaching
As Opening Day draws closer, Philadelphia will continue narrowing the roster while evaluating depth options across the organization.
For McFarlane, the assignment to Double-A is simply the next step in his development.
If his velocity continues to climb and his command improves, the hard-throwing right-hander could eventually become another power arm in the Phillies’ pitching pipeline.
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