The Philadelphia Phillies took a massive blow on Sunday after Major League Baseball suspended José Alvarado for 80 games for violating the league’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment program. The veteran reliever tested positive for exogenous testosterone, reportedly caused by a weight loss drug he took during the offseason.

Not only is Alvarado suspended for 80 games, but he is ineligible for the playoffs if the Phillies make it that far. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski must address the bullpen, a weakness through the early part of the season, with Alvarado no longer in the picture.

Luckily, Sunday wasn’t all bad for the Phillies. Mick Abel, the organization’s No. 8 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, made his major league debut against Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates and recorded history along the way.

Mick Abel gives Phillies another trade chip after his MLB debut

The Phillies drafted Abel 15th overall during the 2020 MLB Draft out of high school. The right-hander had an average start to his professional career as he progressed through the farm system, but struggled mightily in 2024.

Abel owned a 3-12 record with a 6.46 ERA in 24 starts in Triple-A with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. He was consistently a top prospect in the Phillies’ system, but struggled so much a season ago that he made a short stint on the development list to figure things out.

Abel was 5-2 with a 2.53 ERA and 51 strikeouts in eight starts this year with the IronPigs before being called up to the big leagues. The 23-year-old didn’t disappoint in his first appearance at Citizens Bank Park.

Abel pitched six scoreless innings of five-hit baseball with a franchise record-tying nine strikeouts in a debut originally set in 1947. He went toe to toe against Skenes, the 2024 NL Rookie of the Year and early NL Cy Young favorite in 2025. Abel and the Phillies picked up a 1-0 win against Skenes and the Pirates.

With Abel’s turnaround in the minors and impressive debut, the young pitcher may have given the Phillies an unexpected solution to Alvarado’s suspension.

The Phillies can use Abel as trade bait for a late-inning, high-leverage reliever as the trade deadline approaches. Names like Washington Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan, St. Louis Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley and the Athletics’ Mason Miller have been linked to the Phillies even before the Alvarado news, so the rumor mill will only get hotter from here.

There’s a scenario in which the Phillies could experiment with and keep their former first-round pick. Abel doesn’t have a spot in the team’s starting rotation, especially with top prospect Andrew Painter eyeing a summer debut, but he could help the team in the bullpen.

Abel is a hard-throwing pitcher and showcased that he can generate swings and misses. It may not hurt to give him a chance in the bullpen to prove himself to the big league club with Alvarado out.

The Phillies and Abel couldn’t have asked for a better debut, regardless of his future with the organization.