Generally, going from Pottstown to Lehigh University is not the path that a baseball player wants to take in his quest to reach the majors.

But if a player is good enough, scouts will find him and give him a chance and from there, it’s up to the player.

That’s how things went for Levi Stoudt.

The first-year IronPig was good enough for a scout from the Seattle Mariners to find him and took him in the third round of the 2019 Draft. After undergoing Tommy John surgery to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament that cost him two seasons, he was traded to the Cincinnati Reds and made his major league debut on April 19, 2023. He pitched in just four games and has not been back to the majors since.

This season though, Stoudt is back to the type of performance that took him to the majors three years ago. In 17 games between Reading and Lehigh Valley, Stoudt has thrown 23 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.

“It’s just kind of a different way that I’m attacking hitters,” said the 28-year-old. “My usages are a little bit different; I’m throwing more sliders, getting ahead in counts more.”

The increased use of his slider put a strain on Stoudt’s arm and caused a sore right elbow. Being cautious, the IronPigs placed him on the 7-Day IL, and the training staff with the IronPigs is working with him on a regimen to strengthen his elbow to avoid a recurrence of the issue.

Stoudt’s baseball journey took him to minor league games in both Reading and Lehigh Valley when he was a kid. One of his fondest memories of those days was getting to meet J.P. Crawford at an autograph signing event on the concourse of Coca-Cola Park. When he was in the Mariners organization, he met Crawford, who was traded to Seattle by the Phillies.

“I was like ‘How cool is that?’ I just met J.P. Crawford,” after getting his autograph as a fan. When he had the chance to meet Crawford again, he passed on the opportunity to mention the earlier meeting. “I didn’t want to come across as some type of fanboy or something. I was just a kid and only in Double-A, so I left that part out of it.”

Stoudt is now eligible to come off of the IL and it was expected that he wouldn’t need an extended stay, so he could return to the mound this week in a home series against the Syracuse Mets.

ON DECK ... Syracuse is in town this week, and it’s bringing a special guest with them. New York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor, who is on a rehab assignment with the team will be coming to town. The former all-star has been on the IL for most of the season with a strained left calf.

He started a rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton Saturday and then played with Syracuse Sunday. He is expected to play at least a couple more games with Syracuse prior to rejoining the Mets lineup.

THE UPS AND DOWNS ... Kyle Backhus looked solid on his rehab assignment with Lehigh Valley, and was activated off of the IL by the Phillies on Monday. Pitcher Alan Rangel was also recalled by the Phillies and pitched Monday night against Washington. Rangel allowed one earned run over five innings against the Nationals in a 4-1 Phillies loss in Washington. Reliever Max Lazar was optioned back to Lehigh Valley and Bryse Wilson was designated for assignment. Wilson is out of options and has to be put through waivers before being assigned back to the IronPigs, if he accepts the assignment. He could opt to become a free agent.

PHILLY NORTH ... The IronPigs pitching staff now has a pair of former Phillies that have been added to the roster. Starter Andrew Painter and reliever Tanner Banks were both optioned to the IronPigs after rough starts to the season. With Lindor in town, it’s possible that we could have Painter facing Lindor at Coca-Cola Park this week.

BETTER THINGS AHEAD ... Tuesday night’s game is the official start of the second half of the International League season. The IronPigs finished 35-40 in the opening half, well out of the hunt for a playoff spot, which went to Memphis. The Red Birds will now host the winner of the IL’s second half in a one-game playoff at the end of the season to determine the league champion. While the Pigs struggled at times in the first half, their roster had a lot of shuffling going on and there were numerous injuries that set them back. Situations like the one that Lehigh Valley has had are one of the reasons that the league put in a split-season playoff schedule a few years ago. The IronPigs could be a tough team to play over the final 75 games of the season.

A JET-LAGGED PIG ... Manager Tank Adamson will be back with the team this week after spending last week back in his native Australia. Adamson was officiating a wedding and used his allowed week of vacation from the team to make the trip back to his homeland.