Trevor Richards Selected to Phillies Roster After Backhus IL Move
Trevor Richards is back in the majors after the Phillies selected the right-hander to their roster on April 28. The move came after Kyle Backhus was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, giving Philadelphia another bullpen arm while Backhus is sidelined for at least 12 days.
Richards gets the call
Richards had been pitching for Triple-A Lehigh Valley before the move. He signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in the offseason, then earned this return by allowing three earned runs in 14 innings over nine Triple-A appearances.
He struck out 26 of the 50 batters he faced, walked three, and posted a 1.93 ERA in that stretch. The line also included a.111 batting average on balls in play and a 100% strand rate, a sharp rebound from the uneven results that followed him through 2024 and into 2025.
Backhus and the open spot
Backhus last pitched on Saturday, and the injured list move was backdated to April 27, the latest it could be. That detail leaves him out for at least 12 days and explains the timing of the roster move.
The Phillies also had room to make the transaction because Taijuan Walker was released a week earlier, opening a 40-man spot. No additional corresponding moves were needed after Richards was selected, so the club could add him without shuffling another arm off the roster.
Phillies keep Richards available
Richards brings more than a short-term fill-in profile. From 2021 to 2023, he pitched 201 innings, mostly for the Blue Jays, and recorded 25 holds while striking out 31.3% of batters faced. He also posted a 3.37 SIERA in that span, along with a 4.61 ERA and a 10.9% walk rate.
His 2024 season was rougher. He gave the Blue Jays 51 1/3 innings with a 4.64 ERA, then was traded to the Twins at the deadline and designated for assignment before the end of August. In 2025, he has made five big league appearances total — three for the Royals and two for the Diamondbacks — while spending most of the year in Triple-A for three different clubs.
That path left him with a 5.19 ERA in Triple-A this season and five earned runs in 5 2/3 major league innings. He has at least five years of service time, cannot be optioned without his consent, and would require a 40-man roster move if the Phillies later want to remove him from the active roster.
