One of the reasons why Matt Strahm was dealt to Kansas City on Friday was because the Phillies had three left-handed relievers in the bullpen. One thing they didn’t have though was insurance if one of the two remaining lefties – Jose Alvarado and Tanner Banks – goes down with an injury. Before most fans even had time to think about that, the Phillies got an insurance policy in the form of Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Kyle Backhus pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks in his debut season of 2025.

Backhus, who turns 28 on January 31st, made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks this past June and went on to make 32 relief appearances for the D-backs. His 32 outings covered 25.1 innings in which he posted 2.8 BB/9 and 7.8 K/9 with a WHIP of 1.421 and recorded 10 holds. He pitched 72 Triple-A games over three seasons with a 3.13 ERA with 4.3 BB/9 and 10.9 K/9 with a 1.361 WHIP. Backhus is what used to be called a LOOGY; a Left-handed One Out Guy. Left-handers hit just .139/.225/.278/.503 against him last season, but righties pounded him to the tune of: .365/.417/.571/.988 in 2025.

Backhus has all three options remaining if he doesn’t make the team out of spring training.

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To get Backhus the Phillies had to surrender minor leaguer Avery Owusu-Asiedu, 22, who joined the Phillies after being selected by them in the ninth round of the 2023 draft. Last season, Owusu-Asiedu played at both Clearwater and Jersey Shore with a .258/.366/.385/.751 line to go with 7 home runs and a career-high 44 RBI.

Owusu-Asiedu is a 6’4″, 230 pound outfielder born in Saskatoon, Canada and hits right-handed. In the minors, Owusu-Asiedu has played 130 games in center field, 66 in left field, and 10 in right field.

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