Phillies Bullpen Takes Hit with Pop's Injury

0:00On April 18th, Philadelphia Phillies bullpen was off to a hot start this 2026 season, but now they take a hit with reliever Zack Pop. Landing on the 15-day injured list, he strained his right calf and the move is retroactive to April 13th. In this place, they called up lefty Kyle Baku's from Triple A Lehigh Valley to fill the 26-man roster spot. Pop had been solid in seven outings, tossing seven in one-third innings with a 3.68 ERA and six strikeouts. He kept opponents to a slash line of 200, slash 290, slash 320, limiting extra base hits and runners on base. That strength in the pen has been key early on, and fans are feeling the sting since Pop stepped up big in his last game on April 12th. He filled in as an emergency starter for two innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks before top prospect Andrew Painter took over. Baku steps in with mixed results. Off in the majors at 5.08 ERA over 36 appearances, including for this year with Philly.

1:04But he shines in Triple A, posting a 3.00 ERA across 74 games in 75 innings with 92 strikeouts. This shakes up the Philly's relief core right as they build momentum, so we'll watch how Baku settles in, and if Pop ramps back quick to keep that, bullpen fire burning strong. Answer update from MLB News Today, powered by AI.