Seth Johnson, Alan Rangel latest IronPigs to deal with yo-yo roles

Seth Johnson made 69 minor league appearances entering this season, 62 as a starter.

The 26-year-old right-hander’s first four outings this year with the IronPigs also were in a starter’s role. Then the Phillies changed course.

They had an abundance of starting pitching and felt Johnson could better serve the organization in a reliever’s role.

So, Johnson’s next 20 Triple-A appearances — and two with the Phillies — were out of the bullpen.

The North Carolina native continues to adjust on the fly, but the results have been respectable. His first five relief appearances were scoreless. He has a 4.15 ERA, .250 batting average against and 33 strikeouts in 28 1/3 innings in his 22 outings out of the bullpen, including two with the Phillies.

“If I had to pick,” IronPigs manager Anthony Contreras said, “I’d think it’s easier to go from starter to a reliever. It’s just more of a routine you have to get used to. You don’t have five or six days to prepare for your next outing.”

Johnson’s most recent outing with the Phillies was two hitless innings with two strikeouts in Game 1 of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the visiting Padres. He was the 27th man for a day before returning to Triple-A.

The Rays’ first-round pick in the 2019 draft is not the first pitcher the Phillies have converted during the season. He’s not the only one on the IronPigs’ current roster.

Michael Mercado began his professional career with the Rays as a starter, then moved to the bullpen in 2023. The 26-year-old’s first season in the Phillies system was as a reliever before he made 10 starts. The Phillies promoted him and he pitched out of the bullpen in his major league debut. He then made two starts then another bullpen stint.

Mercado returned to Triple-A to make his final 19 appearances as a reliever. He’s been a bullpen guy throughout 2025 so far.

Right-hander Alan Rangel has yo-yo’d for the IronPigs since he came to the organization in 2024. Two starts. Two relief appearances. One start. Three relief appearances. Two starts.

The 27-year-old made 12 consecutive starts to open 2025 before making his major league debut June 6 in Pittsburgh against the Pirates out of the bullpen. After two more starts in Lehigh Valley, he earned his first MLB save with five scoreless innings in a relay-delayed, mop-up role June 27 in Atlanta against the Braves.

Rangel is back in Triple-A and starts Friday’s game at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

“He’s another who has refined his skills,” Contreras said. “He always throws strikes and can get deep into games. Being able to have the confidence in himself and the ability to get big league hitters out will serve him well down the road.

“He’ll jump back in the rotation tomorrow and hopefully pick up where he left off as he is waiting for the next big-league opportunity.”

Rangel has been through plenty in his career since signing as a free agent in July 2014 with the Braves. He resigned with the Braves in 2022, then earned his first MLB call-up the following year but didn’t appear in a game.

The Angels signed him as a free agent after the 2023 season, then released him in July 2024. The Phillies signed him three weeks later.

Johnson was a shortstop until Louisburg (N.C.) College teammates put the radar gun on him. He transitioned to pitcher and continued down that path in 2019 at Campbell University. He’s come a long way in a short time.

“He’s tapping into what it means to be a reliever,” Contreras said. “He’s understanding what pitches to use, the window of opportunity he has. He has four pitches he can throw. As a reliever when you need to shut things down for one or two innings, you don’t have time to finesse things. He’s starting to understand that. He’s a big, power guy who can go get after them, be aggressive, show off his upper 90s arm.”

Roster moves

RHPs Nabil Crismatt and RHP Joel Kuhnel opted out of their contracts. They were granted their release by the Phillies, leaving the short-handed IronPigs even more short-handed.

Crismatt, who was scheduled to start Saturday’s game at Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, was 4-5 with a 3.81 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 15 starts this season, his first in the organization. He spent time in the majors the previous five years with the Cardinals, Diamondbacks, Padres and Dodgers.

Kuhnel spent parts of five previous seasons in the majors with the Reds, Astros and Rays. He was 3-1 with two saves, a 3.62 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 26 games this year with the IronPigs.

Lehigh Valley already has a bullpen game slated for Sunday’s series finale in Moosic against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Up next

RHP Alan Rangel (4-2, 4.96 ERA) faces Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RHP Brendan Beck (1-0, 1.74) in a 6:35 p.m. start from PNC Field in Moosic in the first of a three-game series. Lehigh Valley then heads to Syracuse for a six-game series starting Tuesday.

Senior writer Tom Housenick can be reached at thousenick@mcall.com