Jose Alvarado left the Phillies on Monday evening to deal with a personal matter and was placed on the restricted list prior to their series opener against the Houston Astros.
There were no further details on Alvarado's situation. There is no defined timetable when a player is placed on the restricted list. Yu Darvish, for example, was placed on the restricted list on July 6 to deal with a family matter and was reinstated by the Padres on August 23.
A player on the restricted list remains under contract but is removed from his team's active roster. MLB must approve the transaction.
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The Phillies called up right-hander Michael Mercado from Triple A to fill the bullpen vacancy. They also called back up right-handed reliever Max Lazar from Triple A earlier in the afternoon as Weston Wilson went on the paternity list.
Alvarado opened the season as the left-handed half of the Phillies' closing tandem with Jeff Hoffman. He was ripped by the Braves on Opening Day for five runs in less than an inning, but from March 31 through June 5, Alvarado posted a 1.35 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and .163 opponents' batting average.
He blew a save in London, responded with seven solid appearances in lower-leverage situations, then encountered his roughest patch of the season. Since July 5, Alvarado has allowed 13 earned runs and 33 baserunners in 17⅓ innings. He had an ugly outing last Tuesday in Atlanta, walking four of the six batters he faced.
Still, Alvarado is one of the most uncomfortable at-bats for a hitter when he's throwing strikes because he has two pitches – a cutter and sinker — that move in opposite directions, one of them at 98 mph and the other at 93.