The Phillies have two players on rehab assignments with Lehigh Valley and another that just went on the IL before ramping himself up to play for Clearwater. Rafael Marchan has been on a rehab assignment with the IronPigs since August 13 and Tanner Banks made his first appearance on the mound last night since going on the IL back on July 9.
Tanner Banks
The Phillies could use a healthy and effective Banks in their bullpen. Banks (left forearm strain) made his first rehab appearance with Lehigh Valley last night and threw a clean inning striking out two of the three batters he faced.
Banks’ velocity was consistent with where he was prior to the injury and he mixed in all five of his pitches. The four-seam fastball topped out at 92.6 mph and he mixed it well with the change-up that was around 85 mph. Against Mets prospect Ronny Mauricio, Banks threw an 85.5 mph change and came back with a 92.6 mph four-seamer. Mauricio was well ahead of the change-up and swung through it before fouling off the fastball. The knock-out pitch was an 84.6 mph change-up that froze Mauricio for another swing and miss to end the inning.
Of his 11 pitches, Banks threw four sweepers, three sliders, two fastballs, and two change-ups.
The Phillies signed Cortes last week to give them some insurance and depth for the stretch. The plan was to have him ramp up to get into game shape starting with the Threshers. Instead, the Phillies decided to put him on the IL to give him even more time to get ready.
Charlotte Varnes of The Athletic noted: “This is to give Cortes some time to ramp up; no injury, per se.” There is no timetable
Cortes had a torn tendon in his left (pitching) arm that required surgery last October. He has not pitched since then. His 2025 stats were rough, including a 6.29 ERA between his time with the Yankees and Padres.
Rafael Marchan
The Phillies sent Marchan (left knee tendinitis) on a rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley on August 13. He has played eight games with the IronPigs and is batting .250 (7-for-28) with a .360 OBP and a .250 SLG.
It’s likely that the Phillies will keep Marchan with Lehigh Valley until rosters expand for September to avoid doing any extra shuffling on the roster.
Marchan has been splitting time between catching and serving as Lehigh Valley’s designated hitter. He has caught five games but has not caught on back-to-back days.
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