SAN FRANCISCO -- Somebody asked Bryce Harper in March if anybody unexpected impressed him in camp.

At that moment, Matt Vierling walked by.

Harper pointed to Vierling, who the Phillies selected in the fifth round of the 2018 Draft. He said he loved his power. He said he loved the fact that he went to Notre Dame (Harper is a Fighting Irish fan). Harper sent Vierling a congratulatory text late Friday night when he learned the Phillies selected Vierling's contract from Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Vierling had a memorable debut in Saturday’s 13-6 win over the Giants at Oracle Park. He hit a pinch-hit single to right in the sixth, then stole second and scored on Rhys Hoskins’ double to right-center field to give the Phillies a two-run lead.

“I was on the taxi squad for a couple times and, man, he’s so good at making the young guys feel welcomed,” Vierling said about Harper on Saturday morning. “I’ve had conversations with him before, just hanging out and talking. He’s been great. It’s cool to be around a guy like that to pick his brain and just kind of see what he thinks on a day to day basis.”

Vierling replaces outfielder Matt Joyce, who the team placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a strained lower back.

Vierling hit .345 with a 1.065 OPS in 102 plate appearances with Reading before the Phillies promoted him to Triple-A earlier this week. He went 5-for-12 with one RBI, one walk and three strikeouts in three games with the IronPigs.

He had absolutely no clue he was even on the Phillies’ radar for a promotion.

But Phillies player development director Josh Bonifay called Vierling on Friday afternoon as the 24-year-old headed to the IronPigs' bus to the ballpark in Worcester, Mass. Bonifay and IronPigs manager Gary Jones started to crack up as they broke the news. Vierling packed his bags and took an Uber to Boston for his cross-country flight to San Francisco.

“It was pretty special,” he said. “Just super cool to get that call. I didn’t expect it at all. I had only been there for 72 hours. It happened quick.”

Vierling’s parents took the first flight out of St. Louis on Saturday morning to be at the game.

“He’s been playing really well at both levels,” Phillies manager Joe Girardi said. “We feel good about what Vierling’s done. It gives us some depth. He might get a start here against one of these lefties.”

Rotation shuffle
The Phillies will start Zach Eflin on Sunday, Zack Wheeler on Tuesday and Vince Velasquez on Wednesday. Spencer Howard’s turn has been skipped, but he is available in the bullpen.

It allows the Phillies to pitch Aaron Nola, Eflin and Wheeler against the Mets next weekend at Citi Field.

Falter continues to impress
Left-hander Bailey Falter has impressed since he rejoined the Phillies earlier this week, allowing one run in six innings. He has struck out six and walked none. He piggybacked Howard’s start earlier this week in Los Angeles, but with the Phillies skipping Howard’s turn, Falter followed Velasquez on Friday against the Giants.

“He’s nasty,” Harper said. “I really like him a lot. He's got four pitches that he throws for strikes. When you’re able to do that in the big leagues, you’re going to have success.”

Falter’s fastball averages only 92 mph, but he has another thing working for him. He has the longest release extension in the big leagues at 7 feet, 6 inches, meaning that a 92 mph fastball looks faster because he releases it so close to the plate.

“‘Man, you’re only throwing like 91-92, but it's looking like 95-96,’” Falter said this week, asked about the reaction he hears from hitters. “And I’m like, ‘Well, I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason I’m here.’ … I’ve always thrown like that. They tried to get me to shorten up a little bit, but it never felt comfortable. I feel like with my extensions and the stuff I throw, it just plays so well and it’s difficult for the hitters. I’ve thrown like this my entire life, and I guess these guys saw something that they liked and haven’t really changed up my mechanics that much, so I'm pretty grateful for that.”