The Phillies optioned Mick Abel back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Monday and recalled right-handed reliever Max Lazar.

This might be as good or better than anything Mick Abel could have ever imagined. He woke up on Sunday morning in Philadelphia, ready to make his MLB debut against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. It was a moment he had wanted for years,

The path to Abel's debut started in an exit meeting after last season. He was helped — and challenged — along the way by coach Caleb Cotham.