The Philadelphia Phillies had their 2025 season flipped on its head over the weekend, when news broke that star reliever Jose Alvarado had been suspended for 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug. Not only will the lefty miss most of what's left of the regular season, but he'll be ineligible for the postseason as well — a massive blow to a Phillies bullpen that was already looking a little suspect.
Phillies fans spent much of Sunday in mourning, wondering how their team might get through the NL's October gauntlet without its most reliable reliever. But no one was left more stunned than Alvarado's own teammates, and they weren't shy about letting everyone know just how big a gut-punch this news really was.
John Clark of NBC Sports Philadelphia caught up with Alvarado's bullpen-mate, fellow lefty Matt Strahm, after the Phillies' 1-0 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Strahm seemed to be trying to choose his words carefully in front of the media, but you could tell just how deeply Alvarado's suspension had wounded him.
"I'm still processing it," Strahm said. "I want to talk to [Alvarado] himself and get it straight from the horse's mouth. But it sucks."
Of course, Alvarado's loss will be felt most acutely on the field. But it also threatens to disrupt Philly's clubhouse ecosystem, and it'll be on manager Rob Thomson to make sure that the team is able to get some well-deserved frustration off its chest in the coming days.
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Phillies teammates searching for answers after Jose Alvarado suspension
You can certainly understand why Strahm would still be in shock, and more than a little upset. Every one of Alvarado's teammates is giving their all to try and get the Phillies over the hump and back to the World Series — long days and plenty of blood, sweat and tears. To have all of that sacrifice jeopardized by one player's decision to skirt the rules of the game is bound to ruffle some feathers.
The question now is how Philly responds. Losing a player to injury is one thing; losing a player to a suspension like this that seems to be entirely within their own control is something else entirely. We don't yet know what Alvarado is offering as an excuse for his positive test, but barring something truly far-fetched, how can the rest of this pitching staff look him in the eye after he risked everything they've worked so hard for? How does the team move on and continue to play at a high level despite knowing that one of thehir best pitchers is out of the equation?
Thomson was already under the microscope after two consecutive postseason flameouts, and this will be just one more test of his ability to lead a veteran Phillies clubhouse.