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Phillies Notes: NLDS, Robertson, Long

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The Phillies continue to dance their way through the playoffs, clinching the NLDS with an 8-3 win over the Braves in today’s Game 4.  Two trade deadline acquisitions from the Angels played key roles in Philadelphia’s victory — Brandon Marsh’s three-run homer in the second inning gave the Phils an early lead that they would never relinquish, and starter Noah Syndergaard allowed one earned run over three innings of work.  J.T. Realmuto’s inside-the-park homer in the third inning was another highlight, as Realmuto became the first catcher to ever hit an inside-the-parker during a postseason game.

Entering the playoffs as the lowest seed in the National League bracket, Philadelphia upset the Cardinals in the Wild Card Series and have now eliminated the defending World Series champions.  The Phillies will now head to the NLCS for the first time since 2010, and will await the chance to oust another higher-seeded opponent in either the Padres or the Dodgers.

More from the City of Brotherly Love…

  • David Robertson was left off the NLDS roster due to a calf strain suffered while jumping to celebrate Bryce Harper’s home run in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series.  Talking to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Scott Lauber and other reporters about the “embarrassing” injury, Robertson said he received an injection last Monday, and is hoping to be available when the NLCS begins on Tuesday.  The veteran right-hander has yet to throw off a mound, but he is throwing on flat ground.  Another deadline addition, Robertson posted an impressive 2.70 ERA and 30.3% strikeout rate over 23 1/3 innings for the Phillies after being acquired from the Cubs.
  • Phillies hitting coach Kevin Long has been considered for past managerial openings with the Nationals and Mets, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (via Twitter) that Long is again gaining some “buzz” as a managerial candidate.  Long is in his 16th consecutive year as a big league hitting coach and his first in Philadelphia, after past stints with the Nationals, Mets, and Yankees.  He worked mostly as a hitting coach in the minors prior to his MLB work, but Long was a manager in the Royals’ farm system from 1997-99.  Long also spent all eight of his seasons as a player in Kansas City’s minor league ranks, so speculatively, these past ties could be of interest to a Royals team looking to replace Mike Matheny as manager.  The Marlins, White Sox, Rangers, and Blue Jays are the other teams in search of a new skipper, though Toronto may be leaning towards retaining interim manager John Schneider, and the Rangers are reportedly favoring ex-Giants manager Bruce Bochy.

19 Players Elect Free Agency

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Players hit minor league free agency on a daily basis during the postseason, as opposed to major league free agents who hit free agency following the World Series when their contracts expire. On Thursday, MLBTR covered 15 players who elected minor league free agency, and we will continue to provide occasional updates as players continue to hit the open market, as noted on the MiLB.com transactions log.

If a player is not on their organization’s 40-man roster at the end of the season, he will hit minor league free agency as long as he has at least 3 years of MLB service time, been assigned outright more than once in his career, and/or has played in the minor leagues for parts of seven or more seasons. Everyone on today’s list is part of that group of players, and most will search for another minor league deal this offseason, though a few may manage to latch onto a major league club and secure a bench or bullpen spot entering the 2023 season.

Infielders:

Outfielders:

Pitchers:

Phillies Announce NLDS Roster

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The Phillies broke their decade-plus postseason drought, then went to St. Louis and swept the Cardinals in the Wild Card round. Now they square off against their divisional rivals in Atlanta in the NLDS. They’ve made a few changes for this series, swapping out right-hander David Robertson for fellow righty Nick Nelson, while subbing in outfielder Dalton Guthrie for infielder Nick Maton.

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

The absence of Robertson is the most notable difference from the Wild Card round, as he has been a key component of the club’s bullpen this year. Manager Rob Thomson tells reporters, including Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, that Robertson strained his calf when he jumped in celebration of Harper’s home run in Game 2 this weekend. Robertson has received an injection of platelet-rich plasma in Philadelphia and is still there.

Robertson, 37, missed a good chunk of the past few seasons due to Tommy John surgery. He only threw 6 2/3 innings in 2019 before getting shut down and then missed the entirety of the 2020 season. He returned in 2021 and was able to log 12 innings with the Rays, along with four more in the postseason. He signed with the Cubs here in 2022 and looked like his old self for the first time in a while, getting traded to the Phillies at the deadline. Between the two clubs, he threw 63 2/3 innings this year with a 2.40 ERA, 30.7% strikeout rate and 46.5% ground ball rate. The walks were on the high side at 13.3%, but he still succeeded in high leverage situations, earning 20 saves and three holds.

Starting pitching was a key ingredient for the Phils in the first round, as Wheeler threw 6 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 1 and Nola following up with 6 2/3 scoreless in Game 2. Suárez would have gotten the ball in game three but wasn’t needed, allowing him to start this series. While not as good as Philadelphia’s top two, he still had a very good season. Throwing 155 1/3 innings over 29 starts, he registered a 3.65 ERA despite a subpar 19.5% strikeout rate, thanks to getting grounders on 55.4% of balls in play. The Phillies will need to think about who starts Game 4, as Suárez would be on short rest.

Phillies Sign Manager Rob Thomson To Two-Year Extension

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Rob Thomson is “interim” Phillies manager no more. The Phillies announced today that Thomson has been signed to a two-year extension covering the 2023-24 seasons, shedding his “interim” label and installing him as the team’s official manager.

Thomson, 59, opened the season as the bench coach to then-manager Joe Girardi but was promoted when the Phils fired Girardi on the heels of an ugly 22-29 start to their season. That early June dismissal came as owner John Middleton sought to shake up the clubhouse and breathe new life into that had spent more than half a billion dollars in free agents over the past several seasons. Despite having inked the likes of Bryce Harper, Zack Wheeler, J.T. Realmuto, Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber, however, the Phils looked to be on their way to an 11th consecutive postseason miss when Girardi was ousted.

The key phrase there is “looked to be on their way,” because in short order under Thomson, the Phillies not only found their stride and played back into contention — they posted one of MLB’s best records from June on, fought into the National League Wild Card round, and quickly ousted the NL Central-champion Cardinals in a two-game sweep on the road.

The Phillies went 65-46 under Thomson from the day he took the reins, and the pair of postseason wins — one a dramatic, ninth-inning comeback against a quality Cardinals bullpen — only furthered Thomson’s cause. Now after more than three decades of working in various front office and coaching capacities, Thomson will land his first long-term managerial post. He’s previously coached in the minors with the Tigers, held high-ranking player development positions in the Yankees organization, and accumulated more than two decades as a first base coach, third base coach and bench coach between the big leagues and the minors.

Even with the interim skippers being elevated both in Philadelphia and in Anaheim, there are five current managerial positions that are either vacant or occupied by an interim skipper throughout the league. The Rangers, Royals, White Sox, Blue Jays and Marlins will all need to name new managers, and it’s possible that postseason results could yet dictate another ousting or two.

Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports Philadelphia reported the move was coming just minutes before the formal announcement (Twitter link).

Phillies Announce Wild Card Roster

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The Phillies ended an 11-year playoff drought when they held onto the final Wild Card spot in the newly expanded postseason format, edging out the 86-win Brewers and finishing with an 87-75 record on the year. They’re in St. Louis for a best-of-three showdown with a Cardinals team that’s hoping to extend the farewell tour of several iconic veterans. Zack Wheeler will take the mound opposite resurgent Cardinals lefty Jose Quintana in this afternoon’s series opener. Here’s how the Phillies’ roster breaks down…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Both Sosa, who’d been on the injured list with a hamstring strain, and Hand, who’d been shelved with elbow tendinitis, were formally activated from the IL today in order to be placed on the playoff roster. With each of Syndergaard, Falter and Gibson making the cut, the Phillies are effectively carrying six starting pitchers, though the majority of them will be working out of relief. Eflin technically gives them seven starters on the roster, though the veteran righty and free-agent-to-be shifted to the bullpen down the stretch after spending more than two months on the injured list this summer due to a knee injury.

The Phillies’ deadline pickups this year proved to pivotal in their return to the playoffs. Marsh, a longtime top prospect with the Angels, provided some needed defense in the outfield and hit .288/.319/.455 down the stretch with his new club. However, it’ll be the St. Louis native and right-handed-hitting Vierling getting the Game 1 nod in center against the left-handed Quintana. Both Syndergaard and Robertson, meanwhile, provided solid innings to help the Phils overcome injuries on the staff. Sosa, acquired mainly for his glove, hit .315/.345/.593 in a small sample of 59 plate appearances before landing on the shelf.

Taking a step back, the Phillies’ very presence in the postseason is somewhat incredible, given their catastrophic start to the season. As of June 3, the Phillies sat at 22-29 on the season — the result of a miserable losing streak that ultimately led to the firing of manager Joe Girardi. Bench coach Rob Thomson ascended to the manager’s chair, and while Phils fans might’ve hoped the shakeup would result in better play, few could’ve realistically forecasted a surge back into postseason contention at that point. It’s not quite a 2019 Nationals turnaround — the Nats were 19-31 at their low point — but the Phils will hope for a similar Cinderella story to play out in 2022.

34 Players Become Free Agents

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The Wild Card round of the 2022 postseason begins today, but for the majority of teams and players, the offseason is now underway. With that will come plenty of roster formalities, including veteran players who’ve been outrighted off their respective teams’ rosters reaching minor league free agency. This week, there have been 34 such instances throughout the league, per the transactions log at MiLB.com.

None of these are a surprise, to be clear. Any player who is not on his team’s 40-man roster at season’s end but has three-plus years of Major League service time, multiple career outright assignments and/or seven-plus seasons in the minors has the right to elect free agency. Everyone in today’s group of players falls under that umbrella. The majority of the group will likely find minor league deals over the winter, although a few of the players in question could potentially find a big league deal as a bench piece or middle-inning reliever.

There will be several more waves of players of this ilk, and we’ll make note of them in bunches over the coming weeks as we await the launch of Major League free agency, when all unsigned players with at least six years of Major League service time will reach the open market. For now, here’s the first of what will likely be several waves of newly minted minor league free agents:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

NL Notes: La Stella, Phillies, Sosa, Hand, Steele, Gray

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Tommy La Stella won’t play again this season as he continues to recover from neck spasms that sent him to the 10-day injured list since September 12.  Multiple injuries have limited La Stella to 136 games over his first two seasons with the Giants, and though the team owes La Stella $11.5MM in 2023 (the final year of his three-year contract), The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser opines that La Stella might be a candidate to be designated for assignment.  One would imagine the Giants would explore trades before going the DFA route, yet in either case, the club would very likely end up eating just about all of La Stella’s remaining salary, unless they can swap him for another undesirable contract.

The changing rules limiting defensive shifts will be a factor in San Francisco’s decision-making, as La Stella will now have to show more range in order to play second or third base, and La Stella’s mobility has been rather limited since undergoing Achilles surgery.  Since a more athletic roster is a stated offseason goal of president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, Slusser wonders if La Stella could be the odd man out if he is unable to play anywhere beyond first base or DH.

More from the National League…

  • The Phillies are on the cusp of clinching a wild card, and interim manager Rob Thomson told reporters (including MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki) that the injured Edmundo Sosa and Brad Hand could be options to return for the playoffs should the Phils qualify.  A right hamstring strain has kept Sosa on the 10-day IL since September 16, while Hand was retroactively placed on the 15-day IL on September 22 due to tendinitis in his throwing elbow.  The versatile Sosa hit a scorching .315/.345/.593 in 59 plate appearances after being acquired by the Cardinals on July 30, while Hand has struggled over his last few outings but still has a 2.80 ERA over 45 innings for the season.
  • Justin Steele has been shut down for the remainder of the season, Cubs manager David Ross told The Chicago Tribune’s Meghan Montemurro and other reporters.  Steele hasn’t pitched since August 26 due to a lower back strain, and while Steele has been throwing bullpens, that work has been more about getting Steele fully healthy rather than prepping him for a final appearance in 2022.  In his first full MLB season, Steele has a 3.18 ERA over 119 innings, with an above-average strikeout rate even though walks (9.8 BB%) were an issue.  The left-hander has nonetheless put himself in good stead for a rotation spot in 2023.
  • The Nationals also won’t start Josiah Gray again this year, as manager Davey Martinez told reporters (including The Washington Post’s Andrew Golden) that Gray already talked his way into some extra work beyond his initial limit of 130 innings.  Gray finishes with 148 2/3 innings in his first big league campaign, though it was far from smooth sailing for the right-hander.  Gray has allowed a Major League-leading 38 home runs and an NL-leading 66 walks, en route to a 5.02 ERA over 28 starts.

Phillies Outright Johan Camargo

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The Phillies announced this evening that infielder Johan Camargo cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The switch-hitter was designated for assignment over the weekend.

Camargo signed a $1.4MM free agent deal with the Phils over the winter after being cut loose by the Braves. It marked his first stint outside the Atlanta organization, and he spent the first half of the year serving as a depth infielder. Philadelphia gave Camargo some early run at third base, but he quickly ceded that job to Alec Bohm. He served as a fill-in shortstop while Didi Gregorius was injured, but the Phils eventually turned back to rookie Bryson Stott there. Camargo was optioned to Lehigh Valley at the end of July, but he hit only .213/.311/.298 with two home runs in 167 trips to the plate with the IronPigs.

It’s the fourth straight subpar offensive season for the 28-year-old. Camargo broke into the majors with a pair of above-average years, but he owns a cumulative .219/.271/.348 mark dating back to the start of the 2019 campaign. Even with the ability to cover anywhere on the infield, that tepid offensive output has squeezed Camargo off a pair of rosters in as many years.

As a player with between three and five years of major league service, he has the right to refuse the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Doing so would mean forfeiting his final week’s worth of salary, though, so it seems likely he’ll accept the assignment and report to Lehigh Valley for the final game of their season tomorrow. He’ll hit minor league free agency anyhow at the end of the season, unless the Phils reselect him onto the 40-man roster before November.

Phillies Reinstate Nick Castellanos

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Sep. 27: As planned, Castellanos has been reinstated, according to an announcement from the Phillies. Catcher Donny Sands was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move.

Sep. 24: Phillies outfielder Nick Castellanos is planning to return to the lineup on Tuesday, when the Phils begin a three-game series with the Cubs.  Castellanos hasn’t played since September 2 due to an oblique strain, but after taking part in baseball activities today, he believes he is ready to get back onto the field without the benefit of a minor league rehab assignment.

“[The team] asked if I think I need one and I said no,” Castellanos told NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury and other reporters.  “I just feel like the sooner I can get back and play and lose myself in a baseball game, the better….I’ve known so many people that have gone down and done fantastic in their rehab assignments and then have come up and it’s a new game.  My philosophy is the sooner I can get back into a game that’s important, the better.”

Another set of on-field activities are slated for tomorrow, and if Castellanos comes out of those workouts feeling good, it would seem as if he’ll be activated from the 10-day injured list in time for Tuesday’s game.  (The Phillies don’t play on Monday.)  Castellanos said that swinging a bat was the last step in his rehab, as he hadn’t had any issues running or throwing for several days.  In general, Castellanos said that “I wouldn’t say [I feel] 100 percent, but I don’t feel like I need to be 100 percent.  I just don’t want to feel restricted or like I could injure myself again.”

As the Phillies continue to battle for an NL wild card slot, Castellanos is certainly eager to return to the playoff race after missing much of September.  Adding to his frustration, Castellanos was seemingly breaking out of his season-long slump at the time of his injury.  Castellanos hit .318/.348/.505 over his last 112 plate appearances prior to his IL stint, after delivering a disappointing .250/.294/.367 slash line in his first 419 PA of the season.  Matt Vierling, Phil Maton, and Dalton Guthrie have seen the bulk of work in right field in Castellanos’ absence.

Phillies Select Chris Devenski

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The Philadelphia Phillies announced they have selected the contract of reliever Chris Devenski. In corresponding moves, left-hander Brad Hand was placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to September 22nd, and infielder Johan Camargo was designated for assignment.

The 31-year-old Devenski re-signed with Arizona Diamondbacks on a Minor League contract before the 2022 season, but began the season on the injured list, first on the 7-day injured list and then 60-day injured list, as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery undergone in June 2021. Devenski would make his 2022 debut in late July, remaining on the Diamondbacks for a month and pitching to a 7.59 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with a low 18.8 K% and minuscule 2.1 BB% before being DFA’d and released. It’s a far cry from the once dominant performance Devenski produced in the early years of his career with the Astros. Nicknamed “The Dragon,” Devenski posted a 3.21 ERA in 305 1/3 innings and appeared in 221 games from 2016-2019 with an above-average 26.9 K% and strong 6.6 BB%, earning an All-Star berth in the process. However, since 2019 Devenski has posted a 9.14 ERA in 21 2/3 innings, undergoing arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow in 2020 and spraining his right UCL in 2021, forcing him to undergo Tommy John surgery.

Devenski signed a Minor League contract with the Phillies shortly after his release from the Diamondbacks and pitched to a 1.04 ERA in 8 2/3 innings in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, with a high 33.3 K% and average 9.1 BB%. He joins a Phillies bullpen with the 9th highest collective ERA as another righty for interim-manager Rob Thomson to call upon.

Hand, an important part of the Phillies bullpen, was placed on the 15-day injured list with left elbow tendinitis. It is a tough break for both Hand and the Phillies, as the team currently holds the third and final NL Wild Card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Brewers and 1/2 game behind the Padres. With the placement on the 15-day IL, Hand will unable to return until October 7th, and will miss the remainder of the regular season. He can, however theoretically return for the playoffs. Hand has posted a strong 2.80 ERA in 45 innings (55 appearances) this season after signing a one-year contract with the Phillies in the offseason. This strong performance, if continued, would likely have led to a multi-year contract in the offseason. However, teams may be warier now with the elbow tendonitis possibly being a precursor to a more serious injury.

As for Camargo, his time on the Phillies’ 40-man roster has come to a close. Signed to a one-year deal in the offseason, Camargo posted a respectable .269/.321/.365/.687 slash line in April before declining to .237/.297/.316/.613 as the season progressed. Camargo dealt with a right knee strain and was placed on the 10-day injured list twice in June before being optioned at the end of July with the return of Jean Segura. He has not fared much better in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, slashing .213/.311/.298/.609 for the season.

As a player with more than three years of MLB service, Camargo has the right to refuse the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Even if Camargo accepts this outright assignment, he’d qualify for minor league free agency at the end of the season unless the Phillies add him back to the 40-man roster.

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