The nightmare keeps getting worse for Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jordan Romano.

The December 2024 free-agent signing's awful 2025 continued during Monday's 13-3 loss to the New York Mets.

Romano allowed four earned runs in one inning. He hit a batter, issued a walk and allowed a hit to load the bases after his first three batters faced. Following a sacrifice fly, Romano allowed a three-run home run to blow the game wide open.

The Phillies signed Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million contract on December 9, 2024. After making consecutive All-Star Game appearances with the Toronto Blue Jays from 2022-23, Romano struggled last season before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in July 2024.

He got off to a rocky start in Philadelphia, blowing a save in his first appearance and ending April with a 12.19 ERA. Things haven't gone much better in the months since.

After being signed, Phillies manager Rob Thomson discussed Romano's potential usage, saying, "There were no promises, other than [high] leverage," per MLB.com.

He's largely struggled in those situations this season, which made Monday's appearance — with the Phils down three — an opportunity to find a groove in a setting with lower stakes.

After falling flat once again, however, it's nearly impossible to imagine a spot where Thompson should trust his struggling reliever.

As much success as the Phillies (76-55) have had this season, their relief staff carries some concern.

Philadelphia has a trio (Tanner Banks, Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm) of reliable arms out of the bullpen, but is otherwise lacking solid options. Per FanGraphs data, the Phillies entered Monday ranked No. 24 in bullpen ERA (4.31). After combining to allow seven earned runs over 2.1 innings against the Mets, that number will only go up.

Despite whiffing on Romano's free-agent deal, Philadelphia still holds a comfortable six-game lead over New York in the NL East. Well, maybe not too comfortable. When it comes to the Phillies' bullpen, no lead is safe.