The Philadelphia Phillies have placed Romano on the injured list, designated Ross for assignment, and called up Trivino and Robertson.

Before today's matchup with the Mets at Citi Field in New York, the Phillies restructured their bullpen, trading veteran right-hander Joe Ross and placing right-handed pitcher Jordan Romano on the 15-day injured list because of inflammation in his right middle finger.

As part of the changes, the team called up right-handers Lou Trivino and Daniel Robertson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Phillies manager Rob Thomson said he first learned about Romano’s inflammation either the day before yesterday or yesterday but was unsure of the exact cause. Notably, Romano’s velocity has fluctuated recently—during yesterday’s appearance, his four-seam fastball reached a peak of 97 mph but dropped as low as 93.2 mph.

Thomson believes this inconsistency is related to an injury affecting Romano’s grip: "I think there is a direct connection. For me, the key indicator is the velocity fluctuation, which has been ongoing for some time." For the 32-year-old Romano, this marks another setback in a disappointing season—signed last December 9th with expectations to be a reliable late-inning pitcher, his current reality is quite different: after allowing four runs in one inning yesterday, his ERA rose to 8.23 over 42.2 innings, ranking second highest among 350 pitchers with at least 40 innings pitched this season.

Another pitcher acquired in the offseason, Ross, gave up three runs in the eighth inning after relieving Romano yesterday. The 32-year-old right-hander has appeared in 37 games for the Phillies this season (only one non-relief appearance) with a 5.12 ERA. "It’s mainly a performance decision," Thomson explained. "Ross is a great player and teammate, always ready. But we want to evaluate Trivino."

The 33-year-old Trivino joined the Phillies on August 4 as a minor league free agent and pitched seven scoreless innings over seven games at Triple-A, showcasing a four-pitch mix including a 95-96 mph four-seam fastball. After returning from Tommy John surgery this year, he appeared in 37 major league games (35 in relief) for the Giants and Dodgers, posting a 4.42 ERA. "He throws quality pitches," Thomson said, "and has been pitching well lately."

The 30-year-old Robertson has pitched in 12 relief appearances for the Phillies this season, with a 5.79 ERA. The additions of Trivino and Robertson bring fresh arms to a bullpen that has been heavily used and inconsistent recently. Since the trade deadline, the Phillies bullpen has acquired star closer Jhoan Duran via trade, welcomed back left-hander José Alvarado from injury, and promoted veteran David Robertson. However, since August 1, the Phillies’ relievers have combined for a 4.23 ERA, tied for 17th in the majors alongside the White Sox.