It’s back to the bullpen for Velasquez

The latest effort to turn Vince Velasquez into the starting pitcher he should be has hit another roadblock. At least for now.

After struggling to hold a spot in the rotation, the much-maligned righthander will make his appearances out of the bullpen going forward, Phillies manager Joe Girardi said Tuesday.

Velasquez has failed to live up to the hype since the Phillies acquired him from Houston in 2015. In four appearances (three starts) this season, the 28-year-old owns an unsightly 7.62 ERA (62 ERA+) and a 1.61 WHIP while allowing 5.5 walks per nine innings. The lone upside to Velasquez’s performance is the 12.5 strikeout rate, best of his career, albeit in a small sample size.

Girardi views Velasquez as a versatile bullpen piece that can be used in high-or low-leverage situations.

“We will definitely use him long, but if I needed him short I wouldn’t be afraid,” Girardi said. “The other thing is we’ve got to keep him built up, we’ve got to make sure he keeps his pitch count high because we have all kinds of doubleheaders coming up and we’re going to need him.”

Velasquez entered spring training in February fighting to earn the fifth spot in the rotation, along with Nick Pivetta, who was traded to Boston last week. He impressed when the Phillies returned for summer camp in July and dazzled in an exhibition start at Yankee Stadium. But Velasquez reverted back to being the enigma he’s always been once the real games began.

When the team recalled top prospect Spencer Howard from Lehigh Valley, it was evident that Velasquez would be the odd man out in the rotation.

“I think everyone is always disappointed. Now, he didn’t say he was disappointed or really show disappointment, but I would suspect he was disappointed,” Girardi said. “Vinny’s a team guy and he said I’ll do whatever it takes. ... Vinny’s always been a team guy and I expect that moving forward.”

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Jose Alvarez is at least 10 days away from resuming baseball activities.

The lefty reliever took a comebacker off the groin in a game against the Blue Jays in Buffalo last week. Remarkably, he was able to gather himself momentarily and throw the runner out at first base before being carted off the field in visible pain.

Alavarez cannot start a throwing program until the area has healed.

“He will not throw for two weeks. It will be two weeks before he does anything — two weeks from (last Thursday) — so he won’t pick up a ball until the end of next week,” Girardi said. “It’s hard to say (when) because it’s hard to see how his body will react after the two-week layoff, but it’s going to take some time. He’s not really allowed to do anything, he’s supposed to rest and relax for two weeks.”

It’s probable that Alvarez will need an additional two weeks to ramp up before he is activated from the 10-day IL, Giardi said. It’s possible he could not return at all.

“Fair to assume. I think once he starts, it won’t be fullthrottle. There will be steps he would have to overcome.”

Alvarez has been a steady hand in the bullpen for the Phils. In 75 appearances, he boasts a 3.17 ERA. He was acquired from the Angels prior to the 2019 season.

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The most pleasant surprise on the Phillies is Andrew Knapp

The backup to the best catcher in baseball has flourished, offensively and defensively, whenever Girardi has jotted his name into the lineup. While Girardi would love to play J.T. Realmuto every day, the Phillies’ truncated and doubleheader-heavy schedule prevents him from doing so, and that enables him to give Knapp more playing time.

Knapp made a huge play to end Sunday’s game in Atlanta, tagging out Dansby Swanson at home in dramatic fashion, and the Phillies salvaged a game in their three-game set with the NL East-leading Braves.

Knapp has handled the revolving pitching staff with aplomb, according to Girardi, and his offensive numbers has spiked after two woeful seasons handling the stick. Knapp, 28, who was drafted in the second round by the Phillies in 2013, is hitting .450 (9-for-20) with a homer and five RBIs.

Girardi loves what he has seen.

“He has played great. I have reminded him of that many times. It’s not an easy role, but I think we’ve been able to get him somewhat consistent at-bats where he’s not going a real long time without playing and I think that’s important for a backup catcher,” Girardi said. “He has a really good handle on our staff — obviously he has to learn three new people fairly quickly, four or five because he doesn’t have a ton of history with (JoJo) Romero or (Reggie McClain) as well. But I think Andrew has played as good as he can play. I’m so happy with what he’s done. He’s going to catch some during this long stretch because I can DH J.T. and I think it helps everyone out. And being productive with the bat is just a plus.”