Phillies place Jonathan Bowlan on 15-day injured list with groin injury
"Big Bad" Jonathan Bowlan is headed to the 15-day injured list with a groin injury, the Philadelphia Phillies announced Monday afternoon. The club recalled right-handed reliever Seth Johnson from Triple-A Lehigh Valley to take his place on the active roster.
Bowlan, who warms up to Jimmy Dean's 1961 country song "Big Bad John," allowed a hit, walked one and struck out two batters in two-thirds of an inning in the Phillies' 4-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday.
The 29-year-old has appeared in seven games in his first season in Philadelphia, going 1-0, allowing three runs and striking out eight batters in seven innings. He was holding hitters to a .143 average over his last four games.
The Phillies acquired Bowlan from the Kansas City Chiefs in the offseason for left-handed pitcher Matt Strahm.
Johnson joins the Phillies' bullpen after a strong start to the 2026 season with the IronPigs. The 27-year-old is averaging 98.3 mph on his four-season fastball — touching 100 mph on April 3 — and ranks sixth in Triple-A among pitchers who have thrown at least 25 four-seamers. He has 11 strikeouts and two saves in six appearances for Lehigh Valley this season.
The right-handed pitcher came over to the Phillies organization in a 2024 trade with the Baltimore Orioles.
He was converted to a full-time reliever last season and made 10 appearances with the Phillies in 2025, posting a 4.26 ERA with 17 strikeouts and four walks in 12 2/3 innings.
The Phillies, who have lost five of their last seven games, begin a three-game series with the Chicago Cubs Monday in Philadelphia.