On June 17, the Phillies optioned rookie right-hander Andrew Painter to Triple-A. The former top prospect had been tagged for more than seven earned runs per nine over his first 65 big league innings. Philadelphia opened trade talks in pursuit of a better fifth starter.

They haven’t found a deal in the subsequent five weeks. The broader trade market hasn’t heated up. The Mets traded David Peterson to the Cubs a week after the Painter demotion. Milwaukee took a flier on Lance McCullers Jr. and purchased a depth arm in Colton Gordon by taking a portion of McCullers’ salary from Houston. That’s essentially it in terms of rotation moves around the league.

Philadelphia turned to righty Alan Rangel as their fifth starter over the last month. A 28-year-old rookie, Rangel followed an opener (lefty Tim Mayza) in his first two appearances. He started his last three times out. Rangel only completed five innings one time. He allowed 13 runs across 20 1/3 frames, surrendering 22 hits and 12 walks while hitting two batters. The Phils lost all five games; they’d gone 2-12 when Painter was on the mound.

That clearly wasn’t working, so Philadelphia optioned Rangel back to Triple-A on Monday. Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola pitched against the Dodgers this week. The Phils were off Thursday and will turn to Jesús Luzardo for Friday’s series opener against the Yankees. They’re taking advantage of the rest day and using Sánchez on five days rest for Sunday’s finale.

That means they’ll need a bullpen game or a fifth starter on Saturday. Their probable starter is to be determined. Rangel can’t come back up unless replacing an injured pitcher. Painter pitched in Triple-A on Tuesday. If the Phillies were considering recalling him, they would’ve scratched him from that start rather than bring back on three days rest (though they theoretically could move Sánchez up to Saturday and go to Painter on Sunday). It’s probably pointing to one of Tucker Davidson or 32-year-old Brian Keller if they bring up a starter from Triple-A.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia wrote on Monday that the Phils were actively searching for a fifth starter on the trade market. That’s not going to happen in time for Saturday’s game. There’s no indication the Phils are close to a deal, and even if they were to finalize one by Friday, they wouldn’t rush an acquisition out to the mound within 24 hours. They’ll need at least one or two more stopgap turns in that spot before bringing someone else in before the August 3 deadline.

It’s also possible the Phillies pivot away from the search for a fifth starter to take a bigger rotation swing. Matt Gelb of The Athletic wrote on Thursday morning that the front office has more recently considered adding a playoff-caliber starter. That’d naturally come at a higher cost in terms or prospects and/or salary commitments. They’d weigh that against their need for an everyday right fielder and potentially a high-leverage reliever to replace Brad Keller.

Philadelphia’s top three of Sánchez, Wheeler and Luzardo is as good as any in the league. That’d be the crux of a playoff rotation. That’s all the Phils would need if they play in a three-game Wild Card Series. They could stick to a three-man rotation for a five-game NLDS should they reach that point.

It’s not until a potential seven-game NLCS that they’d probably need a fourth starter, which would be Nola. That’s why the initial plan was for a stabilizing back-end arm to get through the regular season without punting every fifth game at a time when the Phillies are in a tight Wild Card race. A depth arm would move to long relief or be left off the playoff roster entirely.

Adding a mid-rotation or better starter would hedge for an injury to any of their top three. It might also signal a lack of confidence in Nola, who has an ERA close to 6.00 over 21 appearances. It’s his second consecutive season in that range. He’s certainly not in danger of losing a regular season rotation spot, but he’d be firmly pushed out of a fully healthy playoff rotation if the Phillies trade for a bigger upgrade. Clay Holmes, Robbie Ray, Foster Griffin, Kevin Gausman, Shane Bieber, Tyler Mahle, Nick Lodolo and Jack Flaherty are some such starters who could be available.

Nola has eaten a lot of innings with solid strikeout and walk rates, but his already problematic home run rate has spiked to career-worst heights. Only Jeffrey Springs has given up more homers than Nola, whose 25 longballs tie him with Zack Littell for most in the National League. He has given up multiple homers in six of his past eight appearances.