The Philadelphia Phillies are close to welcoming back one of their bullpen arms. José Ruiz, who was placed on the 15-day injured list in early May due to a neck spasm, has begun a rehab assignment with Triple-A Lehigh Valley and made his first appearance on May 13.

At the time Ruiz was sidelined, Ranger Suárez was preparing to make his season debut. His return prompted the Phillies to shift Taijuan Walker to the bullpen, following Walker’s recovery from lower back stiffness. With Ruiz nearing a return, the team faces a decision on which reliever could be removed from the bullpen roster.

Carlos Hernández appears to be the most likely candidate to lose his spot once Ruiz is activated. The Phillies picked up Hernández off waivers from the Royals just before the regular season began, filling a gap left by Suárez’s temporary absence and Walker’s rotation role.

Hernández has struggled this year, posting a 6.75 ERA over 16 outings. The Phillies already have several established right-handed relievers—Jordan Romano, Orion Kerkering, and Joe Ross—making it difficult to justify keeping Hernández given his performance. His ERA doesn’t help his case, nor does the fact that he’s allowed a baserunner in all but two of his appearances. His 21 hits allowed rank second among Phillies relievers (behind only Walker, who started six games), and his 10 walks lead that group.

While Ruiz had his own early-season struggles, the team values his strong finish to last season and solid spring training, giving him a better shot to reclaim a bullpen role.

Since Hernández is out of minor league options, the Phillies would have to designate him for assignment to remove him from the roster. That opens the door for another team to potentially claim him, as there’s no room for him in a now-healthy bullpen.