PT TOMORROW: NL East—Should PHI already be worried about Buchholz?

Philadelphia Phillies

It’s extremely early, but the offseason acquisition of Clay Buchholz (RHP, PHI) doesn’t look too good at the moment. The 32-year-old was brought in to provide a veteran presence on a young staff and bridge the gap until the youngsters are ready to come up from the minors. However, he had a brutal spring (21.2 IP, 26 H, 16 ER, 10 BB, 16 K) and his first regular season outing didn’t go well (5 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 3 K). A 2-3 mph drop in velocity from 2016 adds to the concern. The Phillies aren’t going to make a knee-jerk move with Buchholz, but this is certainly something to monitor closely in the coming weeks.

After an impressive spring, Nick Pivetta (RHP, PHI) would likely be the top choice to come up from the...

Almost!

You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

More From PT Tomorrow

This week, we consider the AAA revolution happening in San Diego, welcome the return of a long-injured veteran in LA, and check in on how some of the young guys of the NL West are performing.
Jun 20 2026 3:06am
The Cubs are looking for offense, could Matt Shaw in right field provide an answer?
Jun 19 2026 3:05am
Could Tigers prospect Max Clark make his MLB debut sometime soon? Plus, Kyle Teel and Shane Smith timelines in Chicago, CLE 3B depth in the wake of the J-Ram injury, Michael Massey looking up in KC, and pitching returns on the horizon in MIN.
Jun 18 2026 3:05am
Lawrence Butler is starting to hit and that's leading to more playing time in Sacramento.
Jun 17 2026 3:08am
If the Mets hope to emulate the Knicks' success in ending their championship drought, they'll need more--much more--out of 1B. Plus: RF in PHI; C in WAS and ATL; RP/SP in WAS; more.
Jun 16 2026 3:11am

Tools