Phillies call up bullpen help and add a catcher as September rosters expand

The Philadelphia Phillies used September roster expansion to add two pieces meant for the final push toward the postseason. On Tuesday, as MLB expanded active rosters, the Phillies added reliever Grant Holman and catcher Rafael Marchán to their roster, reinforcing roles that tend to matter most as games tighten and pitching matchups get more specific.

The timing fits the team’s momentum. MLB’s release described the Phillies as coming off what it called a dominant August that included a 21-7 stretch, a run that helped separate them from the pack and kept their season picture firmly in playoff focus during the final months.

Holman comes in as a right-handed bullpen option. MLB’s announcement said the 26-year-old was acquired via waivers on May 7, when the Phillies took him from the Detroit Tigers. That waiver claim detail matters because it indicates Philadelphia’s willingness to bet on relief depth that was available midseason, rather than waiting for an offseason or relying solely on in-house promotions.

For the catcher position, Marchán’s addition gives the Phillies another late-season option behind the plate. The September window often reshapes handling of workload for starting catchers, allows more frequent defensive matchups, and provides an extra bat or game-caller depending on how a series lines up. While the MLB release focused on the roster expansion itself, the underlying rationale is clear: September rosters are built to survive multi-game stretches, travel, and late-inning pressure.

The Phillies now have more flexibility for how they deploy their pitching. In the final month, managers typically prioritize reliable bullpen arms for high-leverage innings and want to reduce the number of pitchers who are asked to cover too many roles in too short a span. Adding Holman gives Philadelphia another right-handed arm they can call on depending on handedness of the opponent and the inning state of the game.

As the season moves into the most consequential weeks, the Phillies will be judged not only on results but on whether their expanded roster choices tighten the margins in close games. The next question is how the coaching staff will integrate Holman and Marchán into established patterns, including when they appear and what specific situations they are used for as the Phillies prepare for the kind of bullpen-heavy late-season schedules that often decide playoff races.