According to a report by The Athletic's Will Sammon, starting pitcher Max Kranick is returning close to home after signing a contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Kranick, 29, will spend a third consecutive season in the National League East after signing a non-roster invite (NRI)/split contract that lets the veteran compete for a Major League roster spot as a starting pitcher in Spring Training, following several seasons as a reliever.
The Scranton, PA native was a high school prospect from Valley View HS in Archbald, PA, when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB June Amateur Draft.
The 6-foot-3 right-hander made his MLB debut in 2021 and finished with a 2-3 record and a 6.28 ERA over 38.2 innings across nine starts.
He suffered an elbow injury early in the 2022 season that required Tommy John surgery in June of that year. That procedure cost him the rest of that season and most of the 2023 campaign.
Prior to the 2024 season, Kranick made his NL East debut, but after being claimed off waivers by the New York Mets, he spent the season in their minor league system. After several years of difficult rehab, Kranick returned to the majors as a reliever for the Mets, finishing with a 3-2 record and a 3.65 ERA across 24 appearances. However, the injury bug struck once again as a flexor tendon surgery ended his time in Queens.
After another offseason of rehab, he joined the Washington Nationals in mid-July 2026. He struggled to a 0-1 record and a 9.33 ERA over 18.1 innings in 17 relief appearances. Kranick was designated for assignment in September 2026 and sent outright to Triple-A Rochester before becoming a free agent at the close of the season.
Although Andrew Painter rebounded in the second half of the season last year, the Phillies want to avoid having a carousel at the fifth spot in the rotation or in any spot in the rotation for that matter.
So far, the Phillies are being proactive in adding to their back-end starting-pitching depth ahead of Opening Day 2027.
