Brian Keller’s dream to pitch in the major leagues is expected to become a reality on Saturday evening when he makes his debut for the Philadelphia Phillies against the visiting New York Yankees.
Keller has made eight starts for Triple-A Lehigh Valley in 2026, going 0-1 with a 2.23 ERA. Across two levels of the minors this season, the 32-year-old right-hander has a 2.06 ERA. Those numbers look pretty good to the Phillies now, as they have struggled to find production at the end of their rotation.
Thus, the team is expected to promote Keller to make Saturday’s start — or perhaps to pitch in bulk relief following an opener. In either case, it will be quite a moment for Keller, who has endured a roller coaster over the past decade.
“I wanted this so bad, a chance of playing in the big leagues,” he said recently. “I was not ready to give that up.”
Keller’s journey to the majors began in the Yankees’ farm system. He was a 39th-round pick by New York in the 2016 MLB draft. Since then, he also has pitched in the minors for the Boston Red Sox and Phillies, plus a stint in Japan and a long recovery from Tommy John surgery.
When he likely makes his MLB debut, he’ll face a Yankees team that has won four of its last five games. New York nipped Philadelphia 1-0 in Friday’s series opener as Cam Schlittler struck out 12 over 7 1/3 innings.
“They’ve got a great lineup,” Schlittler said. “They’re going to make you battle, and you’ve got to make the right pitches.”
Paul Goldschmidt’s solo homer in the fourth inning accounted for the only run of the game. New York totaled only three hits, while Philadelphia was limited to four.
The Phillies are 2-5 since the All-Star break and have scored more than one run in a game only three times during that stretch.
“We’ve been playing good teams,” Philadelphia catcher J.T. Realmuto said. “And we definitely would like to be playing better baseball. I think we’re just a little inconsistent right now throughout the lineup, not scoring enough runs, to be quite frank. Obviously the talent’s there. We feel good about our team. We’re not playing our best baseball right now.”
The Phillies will aim to bounce back against left-hander Ryan Weathers (3-7, 4.40 ERA), who lasted only 4 2/3 innings Monday against the Pittsburgh Pirates — and needed 99 pitches to record 14 outs. He gave up five runs, seven hits and a pair of walks in his team’s 8-5 victory.
“Wasn’t a great one for him; got hit around early on a night we’re up against it pen-wise,” New York manager Aaron Boone said of Weathers’ last start, “but I love the fact that he hung in there.”
Weathers has appeared in three games (two starts) against Philadelphia in his career, going 0-3 with a 9.53 ERA. He has given up six homers in 11 1/3 innings in those outings, including a homer to Kyle Schwarber in each of his last two games against the Phillies.
–Field Level Media
