December 23, 2024

Phillies add reliever Joe Ross on one-year deal

Ross appeared in 25 games for the Brewers in 2024, starting in 10 of them and posting a 3.77 ERA.

By Nick Tricome
PhillyVoice Staff

Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images

Right-hander Joe Ross will join the Phillies as a reliever and option to spot start.

The Phillies have an agreement with right-hander Joe Ross on a one-year deal, the club announced Monday afternoon.

Ross, who spent the 2024 season in Milwaukee after a two-year journey back from injury, appeared in 25 games for the Brewers, recording a 3.77 ERA, a 1.365 WHIP, and an 8.0 strikeouts per nine innings clip across 74.0 innings pitched.

He started in 10 of those appearances last season, so the 31-year-old can throw out of the bullpen or in a spot start if the Phillies need him to.

Ross has a career record of 29-34 with a 4.19 ERA and a 1.336 WHIP across parts of six seasons in Washington and then last year in Milwaukee. He opted out of the COVID-shortened 2020 season, then was down for 2022 and 2023 with elbow issues that eventually led to Tommy John surgery.

Ross will fill a gap in a Philadelphia bullpen that still needs to slightly reshape itself from the departures of Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez, but his addition does add to a bit of a boost in recent activity from the Phillies' front office after they swung the trade with Miami for starter Jesús Luzardo over the weekend.