Nearly five months into the 2025 season, Jordan Romano’s one-year, \$8.5 million deal with the Philadelphia Phillies is shaping up to be nothing short of a bust for the front office.
Following yet another rough appearance Monday night against the Seattle Mariners, Phillies skipper Rob Thomson offered his perspective on his fellow Canadian when speaking to reporters before Tuesday’s game.
Phillies manager Rob Thomson continues defending Jordan Romano despite unpredictable results
Even with his unmatched feel for the clubhouse, the Phillies’ manager has struggled to explain Romano’s puzzling year.
“He’s either dominant or he gives up a couple runs,” Thomson said. “Early in the season, a lot of it was tough luck, too. Last night’s a good example—he gives up a bloop hit, then a guy battles him, and finally he leaves a slider right where he can’t afford to, and it ends up over the fence. It’s just been that kind of season.”
Thomson’s comments pretty much capture the roller-coaster that has been Romano’s 2025 campaign. The former two-time All-Star is sporting a 7.56 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 41 2/3 innings, with 45 strikeouts, nine home runs allowed, and 36 runs (35 earned)—all career highs.
As Thomson noted, Romano has struggled with bursts of inconsistency. He gave up two runs in his Phillies debut on Opening Day, then five runs in two games against the Dodgers a week later, followed by a six-run outing against the Marlins on April 19. He then had a stretch of 11 appearances allowing just one earned run in 10 1/2 innings, only to surrender three against the Athletics next. Romano managed a solid month with a 2.79 ERA, but the Braves tagged him for four runs on June 28, and Patrick Bailey and the Giants hammered him for three more on July 8.
Since July 25, his ERA has ballooned to 13.50, giving up two runs to the Yankees, four to the Reds, and two more in Monday’s outing—all via home runs.
Still, Thomson defended him. “But it’s still good stuff. He gets swing and miss when he’s on. And he’s actually done a pretty good job at killing innings, coming in with traffic and getting out of it. So, I like him,” the manager said.
Despite what fans think, Thomson has continued to back Romano. As long as Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski keeps him on the roster, Thomson will use him—and defend him publicly.
“Well, I can’t tell what he’s going to have coming out of the pen,” Thomson told The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and Charlotte Varnes. “Not until he gets out on the mound. So I just want to make sure that we give him time off because he seems to be stronger when he does have some time off. That’s the only thing you can do.”
The Phillies had a chance to cut their losses on Tuesday with José Alvarado returning from his 80-game PED suspension, an opportunity many fans hoped the team would seize. But with Zack Wheeler heading to the injured list and Nolan Hoffman occupying the last optionable bullpen spot, Romano survived the cut.
Heading into the postseason, carrying such a volatile arm is far from ideal—but options are limited. With Alvarado ineligible for October and several starters likely moving to bullpen duty, fans can still hope Romano might be squeezed off the playoff roster.
